Poll: Congressional Accomplishments

This Navigator Research report contains polling data on how constituents perceive a variety of different policies passed by Congress in recent years and how they evaluate forward-looking goals and priorities of Democratic lawmakers in Congress.

Lowering prescription drugs and improving infrastructure are the top two congressional accomplishments.

Giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices and the CHIPS Act are among the most popular policies passed by Congress over the last couple of years. On a 10-point scale, 62 percent of battleground constituents strongly support (give 10 of 10) to “Congress pass[ing] a law that gives Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for seniors and caps the cost of insulin at $35,” including more than nine in ten Democrats (95 percent), three in four Republicans (76 percent), and nearly seven in ten independents (68 percent). 

• Similarly, a 55 percent majority of battleground constituents give a 10 out of 10 rating for the CHIPS Act when described as a “law to bring critical supply chains and manufacturing jobs back home from China, tackle inflation by reducing production delays, and make goods in America again,” including 53 percent of Democrats, 56 percent of independents, and 59 percent of Republicans. The share of battleground constituents who give it a rating of at least 8 out of 10 increases the share in support to 76 percent.
• When constituents are asked about whether these policies would help people like them and their families on a similar 10-point scale, 41 percent of Americans rate giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices a 10 out of 10, with the share rising to nearly three in five constituents when including anyone who rated it as at least an 8 out of 10 (58 percent). The CHIPS Act is also rated a 10 out of 10 on helping people like them and their families by 40 percent of constituents, with 58 percent rating it at least an 8 out of 10.

Other policies passed by Congress such as the PACT Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also earn broad support across partisanship.

Two in three battleground constituents give the PACT Act a 10 out of 10 support rating when described as “a law that expands and improves health care and benefits for veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxins” (65 percent), with 83 percent of constituents giving the PACT Act a support rating of 8 or higher. Nearly half of constituents in the battleground rate the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal a 10 out of 10 when framed as “a law that will rebuild America’s crumbling roads and bridges, expand rural internet access, and replace lead water pipes” (49 percent), with two in three constituents giving it a support rating of 10 or higher.

• While these policies earn broad support, there is less intensity about whether they will help people like them and their families: 29 percent give the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law a 10 out of 10 rating on this measure, and only 25 percent say the same about the PACT Act.
• In a forced choice asking which single congressional policy that has done the most for them personally, the top three include rebuilding America’s infrastructure (20 percent), bringing critical supply chains back to America (17 percent), and giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices and capping the cost of insulin (16 percent).

When assessing future priorities of Democratic lawmakers in Congress, lowering health care costs and combating corporate greed rise to the top.

51 percent of battleground constituents give a 10 out of 10 rating of support for “Democrats in Congress… working to bring down the costs of health care and prescription drugs by capping the prices of prescription drugs like insulin, stopping price hikes for premiums, and expanding Medicare benefits to cover dental, vision, and hearing,” and the share giving this at least an 8 out of 10 support rating rises to two in three constituents (64 percent). 59 percent also give this at least an 8 out of 10 on whether it would help them and their families. Additionally, 44 percent of constituents in the battleground give a 10 out of 10 support rating for Democrats in Congress “working to bring down the cost of living by combating corporate price gouging and stopping companies from ripping off consumers with expensive, hidden junk fees like online convenience fees and service charges,” which rises to 57 percent when including those giving it a support rating of 8 or higher. 55 percent also give addressing corporate price gouging at least an 8 or higher on being helpful to them and their families.