Poll: Change Isn’t Radical — It’s Popular

This Navigator Research report contains message guidance from a survey conducted April 3 – 7 on how to win by pivoting from the status quo.

Pundits, voters, pollsters, and candidates keep telling us: they want change. Every election seems to be a “change” election. We don’t need a survey to tell us that the American people are frustrated with the status quo. Nevertheless, we conducted a survey, because that’s what we do best.

Our latest survey finds that 74 percent of Americans believe the American political and economic system needs major changes. Within that three-quarters majority, 12 percent are so discontented that they believe the system needs to be torn down completely. Remarkably, this cuts fairly evenly across party lines.

Speak to the moment

In order to be heard in this moment, progressives must meet people where they are. Messages are more likely to cut through when they are centered in the acknowledgement that the status quo is broken. The norms, systems, and policies that undergird our institutions do not work. A simple, solutions-oriented message is insufficient to meet Americans’ desire for change.

Navigator tested messages across three separate policy areas. In the experiment, half of respondents heard a progressive solutions-oriented message versus a conservative message. The other half of respondents heard the same conservative message and a progressive solutions message, prefaced by an acknowledgement that the system is broken.

Across all three policy areas, the “broken-system” message outperformed the “simple solutions” message, in some cases by double digits. Importantly, pivoting away from the status quo is critical to gaining the attention of key groups. In the case of tax messages, there are stark differences between using an anti-status quo frame and using a simple progressive solution message:

• Among Republicans who do not identify as MAGA, the “anti-status quo” tax message wins by +14. The “simple solutions” message loses by -20.
• Among Trump voters who do not strongly approve of his job performance, the “anti-status quo” tax message wins by a margin of +8. The “simple solutions” message loses by -18.
• Among those who identify as “blue-collar,” the “anti-status quo” tax message wins by +34. The “simple solutions” message loses by -4.

Taxes:
Status quo message:
We need to make sure the rich and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes, so that we can invest in the middle class and working families who are struggling to get by.

Pivot message:
Our tax system has been rigged in favor of the rich while hurting the middle class. We need to rewrite that system to make sure the rich and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes, so that we can invest in the middle class and working families who are struggling to get by.

Health Care:
Status quo message:
To lower health care costs, the government should be more involved in providing health care and do more and do more to take on drug and insurance companies that raise prices to pad their profits.

Pivot message:
Our health care system is broken, with 20 million Americans in medical debt. We need to do more to make health care affordable:the government should be more involved in providing health care and do more and do more to take on drug and insurance companies that raise prices to pad their profits.

Immigration:
Status quo message:
We must secure the border but also provide a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who have been here for many years and pass a background check.

Pivot message:
Our immigration system has been broken for far too long. We must fix it by both securing the border and providing a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who have been here for many years and pass a background check.

Americans are frustrated with the institutions and systems that are meant to serve them, but instead are leaving them behind. They see Republicans as a party of change and Democrats as the party of the status quo. Two-thirds (65 percent) of Americans believe Republicans are committed to changing the way government works, while just 30 percent say the same of Democrats. Effective messaging must start with acknowledging that the system is broken. Offering solutions is not enough when Americans feel Democrats are working to preserve the status quo rather than change a system that is failing them.