AMERICANS ARE NOT BENEFITTING FROM RISING WAGES
- 71% of Americans say their financial situation has either not improved or has actually worsened since this time last year, when the economy was being obliterated by states’ economic shutdowns. This despite wages rising and unemployment dropping sharply.
SCHOOL CLOSURES ARE UNPOPULAR; VOTERS BLAME DEMS
- Only 10% of Americans think schools should still be closed at this point. Of those who think schools have been closed for too long or never should have closed, 75% blame the Democrats. Fully 54% of Democratic voters… blame Democrats. Blue cities’ resistance to fully reopening schools has cost them politically.
FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE IS LESS POPULAR
- Americans no longer see a four-year degree as the only path to the middle class. Nearly 7 in 10 voters think trade school or on-the-job training holds the most value for young adults.
VOTERS BELIEVE WELFARE FRAUD IS A LEGITIMATE PROBLEM
Only 12% of voters think there is “very little or no” fraud and abuse in our nation’s welfare programs. 81% disagree, including 73% of Democrats.- When it comes to duration, 12% also feel like people are not able to remain on welfare long enough, despite historically lax policies.
MORE VOTERS BLAME THE UNEMPLOYMENT BONUS FOR PERSISTENT JOBLESSNESS
Democrats’ messaging on low wages being the cause of long-term unemployment is not working: only 22% think low wages are to blame for the now out-of-control problem. 41% think unemployment bonuses are to blame, while 16% still think Americans are too afraid of COVID-19 to work. Independents are especially not buying it; they believe the unemployment problem is being caused by unemployment bonuses instead of low wages by an 18-point margin.
REFORM IS NEEDED TO RESTORE CONFIDENCE IN ELECTIONS
- Nearly one-fifth of voters have “no trust” in our elections, and another 16% only “somewhat trust” the integrity of our system. While there is a partisan divide, only 55% of Democrats say they “completely trust” the election process.
- Democrats are far more likely to say they are likely to vote in the 2022 election, (94% of Democrats versus 82% of Republicans and 80% of Independents), indicating a need to reassure most voters that every legal vote will be counted.
- Despite this gap, Democrats enjoy only a very narrow margin (41-37) on the generic congressional ballot.