Key pieces of President Joe Biden's economic agenda continue to be widely popular with roughly two-thirds of the American public, according to the latest polling from Navigator Research, a consortium of Democratic polling firms.
While pushing for the entire Build Back Better package is likely a dead end tactic, cherry-picking certain pieces of the deal that can draw support from Democratic Senators like Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona would still provide Democrats with momentum heading into the November midterms.
With that in mind, Navigator assembled what respondents viewed as the "best reasons" to support Biden's economic plan. It tested nine proposals, and found that giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices and raising taxes on the rich drew the strongest intensity of support. Here were the top six proposals, according to a Navigator memo:
Overall, the survey found what other recent polls have found—jobs and the economy remain the top priority for Americans.
But the survey also found that only three in 10 respondents (31%) say the president and Congress are focused on the issue, while 55% say the pandemic is their main focus, and 40% say voting rights are.
Navigator noted that, after reading the top proposals included in Biden's economic agenda to respondents, "Biden and Democrats make gains on party trust when it comes to rising costs and inflation."
Democrats have a lot of work to do before November to provide voters with reasons to vote both for Democrats and against Republicans. One critical part of that equation is making certain that voters believe Democrats are attempting to address what they view as their most important issue.
While pushing for the entire Build Back Better package is likely a dead end tactic, cherry-picking certain pieces of the deal that can draw support from Democratic Senators like Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona would still provide Democrats with momentum heading into the November midterms.
With that in mind, Navigator assembled what respondents viewed as the "best reasons" to support Biden's economic plan. It tested nine proposals, and found that giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices and raising taxes on the rich drew the strongest intensity of support. Here were the top six proposals, according to a Navigator memo:
- Giving Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices (with 79% calling it a good reason to pass the plan, including 49% saying it is a “very” good reason)
- Lowering health insurance premiums for those who buy health insurance on their own (78% good reason; 47% a “very” good reason)
- Capping out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 a month (78% good reason; 47% “very” good reason)
- Expanding Medicare to cover things like hearing aids (76% good reason; 47% “very” good reason)
- Making childcare more affordable (75% good reason; 45% “very” good reason)
- Raising taxes on the rich and corporations to make sure they pay their fair share (73% good reason, 49% “very” good reason).
Overall, the survey found what other recent polls have found—jobs and the economy remain the top priority for Americans.
But the survey also found that only three in 10 respondents (31%) say the president and Congress are focused on the issue, while 55% say the pandemic is their main focus, and 40% say voting rights are.
Navigator noted that, after reading the top proposals included in Biden's economic agenda to respondents, "Biden and Democrats make gains on party trust when it comes to rising costs and inflation."
Democrats have a lot of work to do before November to provide voters with reasons to vote both for Democrats and against Republicans. One critical part of that equation is making certain that voters believe Democrats are attempting to address what they view as their most important issue.