New public opinion research reveals broad public support for additional government action to provide economic relief, with a large majority of voters prioritizing urgent government aid over concerns about increasing the debt.

Further, while several surveys have found high levels of support for additional checks, new poll data indicate similarly high support for ongoing direct checks that continue until the economic crisis ends.

SWING DISTRICT VOTERS PRIORITIZE ADDITIONAL FEDERAL AID OVER DEBT CONCERNS

A Public Policy Polling survey of 32 battleground congressional districts asked:

“If you had to choose, do you think the federal government should spend what it takes right now to help Americans who are struggling to afford basic needs like food and housing, or do you think the federal government should scale back support to reduce the national debt?”

• 70% say spend what it takes to help people meet basic needs

• 20% say scale back support to reduce the national debt, 10% not sure

Support includes:

• Party: 90% support/4% opposed among 2016 Clinton voters, 48/37 among Trump voters, 73/16 among 3rd party/non-voters

• Region: 74/18 Mid-Atlantic, 67/21 Midwest, 71/19 Southwest, 67/21 California

• Demographics: 72/18 women, 68/21 men. 76/16 Latinx, 80/11 Black, 67/22 white, 82/11 Asian. 72/22 age 18-45, 66/21 age 45-65, 75/14 over age 65. 72/18 landline, 68/21 text.

NATIONAL SURVEY: STRONG BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR RECURRING DIRECT PAYMENTS 

Other recent surveys have found widespread support for an additional round of direct stimulus checks, such as Gallup’s August survey finding 70% support/17% opposed (82% Dems, 64% Reps) and the July CNBC poll of battleground states finding 80% support/18% opposed.

A new national survey from Lake Research Partners tested support for a single round of $1,200 checks against support for ongoing relief with regular checks until the economic crisis ends (a policy that 150 economists have backed):

“Now thinking about economic relief payments being made during the current pandemic, instead of one-time relief payments of $1,200 going to most Americans, do you support or oppose having the federal government issue regular payments until the economic crisis is over?”

• 76% support (56% strongly) regular payments until the economic crisis ends

• 14% oppose (6% strongly) regular payments, 9% not sure

Support includes:

• 89 support/7 oppose Dems, 65/13 Ind, 67/25 Rep

As in the PPP survey above, support remains strong even when concerns about costs are raised. Lake Research Partners asked:

      “Supporters say direct payments are the most powerful tool to help families keep their heads above water and boost local economies. More direct payments this year would keep 14 million people out of poverty, while unemployment insurance keeps only 3.6 million people out of poverty. One check is not enough. Continuing payments until the economy recovers would shave years off this recession.

      “Opponents say we simply can’t afford it. We already have a whole range of programs for economic recovery: unemployment insurance, aid to states and cities, food aid, and many more. Direct payments may be one piece of the puzzle but recurring payments would cost trillions of dollars. And direct payments aren’t as efficient as well-targeted programs like unemployment insurance, which gets money only to the people who need it.”

After hearing these arguments, support for recurring payments held steady at 74/17.

METHODOLOGY

Public Policy Polling survey Sept. 10-11 (half automated dialer to landlines, half text to mobile phones) of 2,361 likely voters in:

• California (CA10, CA21, CA39, CA45, CA48, CA49)

• Midwest (IA01, IA03, IL06, IL14, KS03, MI08, MI11, MN02)

• Mid-Atlantic (CT05, NJ03, NJ05, NJ07, NJ11, NY11, NY19, NY22, PA07, PA08, PA17, VA02, VA07)

• Southwest (CO06, NM02, NV03, NV04, UT04)

Lake Research Partners survey (via Caravan Omnibus nationwide survey) Sept. 9-10 of 1000 adults age 18+.