New Poll: Major concerns loom over $3.5 trillion spending package, Americans favor scrapping it
Significant majorities fear middleclass tax hikes, accelerated inflation, weaker economy
Arlington, Va. – Americans favor scrapping the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package currently under consideration by Congress, according to a new YouGov poll commissioned by Americans for Prosperity on the public’s attitude toward the spending plan. The poll comes as President Biden and congressional leaders struggle to garner support for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ $3.5 trillion reconciliation package in the face of mounting concerns among key lawmakers and a broad swath of Americans across the country on the harms of the proposal.
By a 47-33 margin, Americans believe the spending bill would trigger higher inflation, increase the cost of living, and that congress should hold off on any new spending. Similarly, 46 percent of Americans believe the bill will make the economy weaker and should be scrapped entirely, while just 35 percent say it will help make the economy stronger. Almost half (45 percent) of Americans think they or their families would not benefit at all from this bill.
The poll was conducted by YouGov between Sept. 26 – 28 among 800 representative U.S. adults.
AFP President Tim Phillips issued the following statement:
“Washington may think this government takeover of the economy would cost ‘zero dollars,’ but the everyday Americans who will end up footing the bill know better. The Biden-Sanders $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend boondoggle would only lead to suffocating taxes on small businesses and the middle class, crushing debt on future generations, and runaway inflation that will drive price increases for everyday needs like groceries and fuel. Lawmakers should listen to their constituents and scrap the plan, full stop.”
Key Findings:
- Americans favor scrapping the reconciliation bill entirely. By a significant margin, 46 percent agree with a statement that the spending bill would lead higher middle-class taxes and interest rates, compared to 35 percent who agree with a statement that the bill is an important investment in America’s future and should be passed. The margin was even larger among independents, with 52 percent saying the bill should be scrapped and just 28 percent saying it should be passed.
- Similarly, Americans are more likely to regard the bill as a threat to the economy than a boon to it. 47 percent of Americans believe the bill will trigger higher inflation, while 33 percent say it will help make things better in the long run.
- Despite claims, strong majority believe tax hikes will hit the middle class. By a margin of 55% to 25%, people think that the middle class will end up paying higher taxes as well as a result of this bill. Nearly 60 percent of independents believe the middle class would pay more.
- Inflation concerns loom large. 57 percent of Americans have big or moderate concerns this bill will cause higher inflation, while only 13 percent have no concern at all. Even among Democrats, 31 percent are concerned it will lead to higher inflation. And among Independents, 62 percent are concerned about higher inflation.
- Beyond concerns, overall, the majority of Americans (51 percent) believe this bill is likely to cause higher inflation, with 21 percent saying it is unlikely, and 28 percent unsure.
- Americans believe benefits will go to special interests, not them. Almost half (45 percent) of people think they or their families would not benefit at all from this bill. A plurality (36 percent) feel special interests will greatly benefit, while only 13 percent think special interests will not benefit. Only 9 percent said they or their families would benefit “greatly.”
See the full results of the poll here.
The poll was commissioned by Americans for Prosperity.
Additional findings:
- The more one has heard of the bill the more likely they are to oppose it. 54 percent of people who have heard a lot about the bill think it should be scrapped, while only 34 percent of those who haven’t heard about it feel that way.
- Less than half (45 percent) of Democrats believe that only the wealthy will pay taxes to fund the bill
- More than half of suburban and rural individuals polled believe the bill is likely to cause inflation (53 and 54 percent, respectively).
SURVEY METHODOLOGY
YouGov is an international research, data, and analytics group headquartered in London with a proprietary web-based panel of over 8 million people globally.
YouGov interviewed 800 respondents from September 26-28, 2021. 848 respondents were matched down to sample of 800 to be representative the U.S. general population by age, gender, education level, race and region. The weight-adjusted margin of error is 4.1%.
