70 percent of voters support Biden’s Build Back Better package, and individual elements of the agenda all earned high levels of support.
Washington, DC — As Democrats in Congress work to pass the Build Back Better reconciliation package, seven in ten Americans say they support President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, and all major elements of the plan receive support from at least three in five voters, including nearly two in three independents and a plurality of Republicans. The data comes from a new survey of registered voters conducted in late August.
The survey highlights the broad bipartisan popularity of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda—for every element of the package that was tested, support outpaced opposition by at least 30 points. Components related to health care had especially high levels of approval, with 86 percent of voters voicing support for reducing the cost of prescription drugs by giving Medicare the power to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower prices. On this same topic, 83 percent of independents and 78 percent of Republicans are supportive.
Additionally, there were high levels of approval for expanding Medicare to include dental, vision, and hearing coverage (85 percent support – 8 percent oppose; 78 percent support with independents strongly support), along with lowering health insurance premiums for families that buy coverage on their own by an average of $50/month (78 percent support – 14 percent oppose).
Support for raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans and the biggest corporations remains high, particularly as a way to pay for investments in working families. All messaging supporting President Biden and Democrats’ economic plan do well overall, but the most convincing centers cracking down on tax evaders (77 percent support – 14 percent oppose) and raising taxes for the top 2 percent of earners (72 percent support – 22 percent oppose). In surveys in key battleground states and congressional districts conducted in July, Navigator found similarly high levels of support for raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations to ensure they pay their fair share.
“The American people are ready to see President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda passed into law,” said Bryan Bennett, Director of Polling & Analytics at The Hub Project. “The reconciliation package is earning similar bipartisan support from Democrats, independents, and even Republicans that we saw in the spring with the American Rescue Plan. Congress as a whole, but Democrats in particular, have the will of their constituents behind them to get these packages across the finish line.”
Not only do seven in ten Americans support the Build Back Better plan, but a similar share view it as urgent that the House and Senate pass the legislation. 71 percent say that it is urgent the economic plan be passed, including seven in ten independents (70 percent) and half of Republicans (50 percent).
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About This Survey
This release features findings from a survey conducted August 26 – August 30, 2021 of 1,002 registered voters. 105 additional interviews were conducted among Hispanic voters. 77 additional interviews were conducted among Asian American and Pacific Islander voters. 104 additional interviews were conducted among African American voters. 100 additional interviews were conducted among independent voters. The survey was conducted online, recruiting respondents from an opt-in online panel vendor. Respondents were verified against a voter file and special care was taken to ensure the demographic composition of our sample matched that of the national registered voter population across a variety of demographic variables.