Voters Support the Build Back Better Plan
By Evangel Penumaka and Ethan Winter
Introduction
With the passage of the American Rescue Plan, lawmakers are now looking to the Build Back Better plan, a proposed multi-trillion dollar investment in American infrastructure with the goal of jumpstarting the economy, combating climate change, and reducing economic inequality.
In a mid-March survey of likely voters nationally, Invest in America and Data for Progress sought to measure attitudes towards the Build Back Better plan. We find that voters overwhelmingly support a multi-trillion dollar investment in infrastructure and want to see Republicans work with President Biden to pass the plan, rather than try to obstruct his agenda.
A multi-trillion dollar Build Back Better plan is broadly popular
Our testing found that voters are highly enthusiastic about a Build Back Better plan that would invest $4 trillion in infrastructure: Among all likely voters it is supported by a margin of 47-points (69 percent support, 22 percent oppose). In addition, support for this proposal is bipartisan — Democrats, Independents, and Republicans back it by margins of 83-points, 45-points, and eight-points, respectively.
Voters think now is the time for an investment in American infrastructure
We find that by a 22-percentage-point margin, voters support moving ahead with an additional planned investment in American infrastructure, even after being reminded that the American Rescue Plan was just passed. Looking at responses broken out by self-identified partisanship, we find that Democrats and Independents want to move ahead with this next phase of investments by margins of 61-points and 19-points respectively. A little more than a third (35 percent) of Republicans agree that now is the time to invest in infrastructure.
Voters overwhelmingly back the components of the Build Back Better plan
We also tested support for a number of proposed individual components of the Build Back Better plan. Across the board, likely voters overwhelmingly support the plan’s elements. This includes repairing roads and bridges (+80 points), investing in American manufacturing (+78 points), and repairing drinking water systems (+77 points).
Voters are persuaded by the argument that Build Back Better will pay for itself by creating economic growth
We also measured likely voters’ attitudes toward whether the Build Back Better plan should be paid for through increasing the national debt. We posed two arguments against one another: Specifically, likely voters were asked whether the United States should take on debt in the short term to pay for this plan or whether the United States should not take on more debt. We find that by a margin of 13-points, likely voters are more persuaded by the deficit financing argument: “Just like households sometimes take on debt to pay for a new home or education, the federal government should take on new debt to pay for this infrastructure investment.”
Voters prefer to finance Build Back Better by taxing the rich, not cuts to social services
If the Build Back Better plan does include pay-fors, our polling finds likely voters want this plan to be financed by taxing the wealthiest Americans and corporations. By a 35-point margin, we find likely voters prefer to pay for the plan by increasing taxes, not cutting spending on social programs. Crucially, Independents prefer raising taxes by a 25-point margin.
Voters want Republicans to work with President Biden on infrastructure rather than obstruct him
We also asked likely voters how Republicans in Congress should respond to the Build Back Better plan. By a 14-point margin, likely voters want to see Republicans work with President Biden to pass the plan, instead of working as a check on the Biden administration. Critically, a plurality of Independents (45 percent) want Republicans to work with, rather than try to oppose Biden on this issue.
Conclusion
As the Biden administration and congressional Democrats move from the American Rescue Plan to the next phase of their legislative agenda, Invest in America and Data for Progress find that likely voters are firmly in support of more federal spending.
Authorship and Methodology
Evangel Penumaka (@evangelpenumaka) is an analyst at Data for Progress
Ethan Winter (@EthanBWinter) is a senior analyst at Data for Progress. You can email him at ethan@dataforprogress.org
From March 19 to March 21, 2021, Invest in America and Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1291 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±3 percentage points.