Majorities of Republicans (80%) and independents (55%) in a new poll from the New York Times and SurveyMonkey say the amount of total spending the Biden administration has proposed thus far through the American Rescue Plan and the American Jobs Plan is “too much,” while a majority of Democrats say it is “the right amount.”
But, results from a split sample experiment indicate that this price tag has no effect on overall support for Biden’s latest proposal: the American Families Plan. Respondents who were made aware of the $4 trillion cost of the ARP and the AJP expressed the same degree of support for the new AFP as those who were not prompted with the cost.
Overall, 58% of the public approves of the American Families Plan, with 22% of Republicans, 61% of independents, and 93% of Democrats expressing support.
Among those who were made aware of the total cost of Biden’s previous or existing proposals, 57% approve; among those who were not made aware of the total cost, 59% approve. That difference is within the margin of error.
Within the American Families Plan, funding for childcare assistance for low and middle-income families gets the most support: 74% of people overall, including 51% of Republicans, 80% of independents, and 95% of Democrats support this proposal.
Federal funding for paid leave (“parental, family, and personal illness leave for workers”) and for universal pre-k get nearly the same overall support (72% and 68%, respectively).
A slimmer majority (57%) supports increasing the tax rate for the top tax bracket.
Continued support for Biden’s infrastructure plan
Despite the concerns regarding cost, a majority of the public continues to support President Biden’s American Jobs Plan: 60% say they approve, down slightly from 64% last month.
Virtually all Democrats and Democratic leaners approve of the AJP, while just one quarter of Republicans and Republicans leaders approve. Support dropped 10 points among independents from April to May, though 62% still say they approve.
Consumer confidence holds steady
The overall consumer confidence index holds at a score of 49 out of 100 this month, unchanged from April. Confidence continues to be about twice as high among Democrats as among Republicans.
For more detailed results, click through the interactive toplines below.
Read more about our polling methodology here.
