This release features findings from a national online survey of 1,256 registered voters conducted April 8-12, 2021. Additional interviews were conducted among 97 Hispanic voters, 100 African American voters, 100 independents without a partisan lean, and 92 Asian American and Pacific Islander voters.
Key takeaways
- Though only half report hearing “a lot” or “some” about Biden’s “American Jobs Plan,” seven in ten support it once described.
- The most supported parts of Biden’s plan include repairing roads and bridges, fixing drinking water, and protecting America against future pandemics.
- Effective progressive messaging on Biden’s infrastructure plan focuses on the urgent need for domestic job creation, rather than American competitiveness in the global economy.
In Addition to the Pandemic and Vaccines, Infrastructure Now Breaking Through in Conversation Around Biden
Majorities of Democrats (90% positive or mix) and independents (67%) report hearing positive things or a mix of positive and negative things, as do 41% of Republicans.
Half of Americans Say They Are Hearing a “Lot” or “Some” on Biden’s Infrastructure Proposal
Democrats (56% “a lot” or “some”) and Hispanic Americans (56%) are hearing the most about the proposal.
Majorities Support Biden’s New “American Jobs Plan”
While 51% of Americans support the plan initially, support jumps to 70% when learning more about the proposal, including double-digit increases across all partisan and racial groups.
Bipartisan Majorities Support Most Infrastructure Proposals
Among independents, a majority support each of a range of proposals, from rebuilding highways and roads to upgrading and building new schools and child care facilities.
Majorities Support Closing Tax Loopholes, Raising Income Taxes on Wealthy and Increasing Corporate Tax Rate
While 53% of Republicans earning less than $50,000 annually support raising incomes taxes on those making more than $400,000 per year, only 38% of Republicans earning more than $100,000 annually support it.
Three in Four Americans Support Raising Corporate Tax Rate, Taxes on the Wealthy, or Both to Pay For Infrastructure
More than two in three independents support these proposals as part of new infrastructure legislation (71%).
Conservative Arguments Against Infrastructure Spending Lose Regardless of Whether Rebuttals Focus on Urgency or Jobs
Progressive messaging effectively refutes conservative claims that the government should limit spending on infrastructure.
A Progressive Argument Focused on Good-Paying Jobs Is Highly Effective
Winning arguments against criticisms that Biden’s infrastructure proposal is a “massive liberal wish list” are focused on the creation of “millions of good-paying jobs.”
Messaging About Creating and Protecting Jobs Is Biggest Winner, Instead of Global Competition
While messages on both competing on the world stage and domestic job creation are “convincing” to a majority, Americans are more convinced by language that focuses on domestic jobs that can’t be “outsourced.”
- While 57% of white voters find messaging on global competition convincing, 67% find job creation convincing.
More Agree Income Gap Has Never Been Bigger and Support “Big, Bold Changes” Than Did Last Year
There has been a net increase of 5 points in the share who support “big, bold changes” since January 2020 (from +6 to +11), including notable upticks among Black Americans (from 62% to 74%) and independents (46% to 53%).
Majorities Agree Pandemic Exposed Flaws in Our Economy and Support Significant Change Over Incrementalism
Nearly three in five agree “we need to make significant changes” when inequality is framed either as a reality exposed by the pandemic or as a consequence of it, rather than gradual economic changes.
