Findings from a Survey of Voters in Six Key States
METHODOLOGY
- Online survey among 1,607
registered voters in the Industrial
Midwest (MI, MN, OH, PA, WI, WV) - States weighted to proper
proportion in combined sample - Fielded April 5 to 13, 2021
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- There is an appetite and readiness for government action. Solid majorities of voters in the industrial Midwest want the government to take a more active role in addressing the nation’s most important economic and social problems.
- Voters across the political spectrum put a high priority on getting people back to work and promoting a strong economic recovery. Democratic base groups want to ensure that we are rebuilding the economy as cleaner, healthier, and safer for communities. Republicans are focused on the need to rebuild the middle class.
- The four pillars of BGA’s agenda are seen as high priorities for the country right now. Rebuilding and modernizing America’s aging infrastructure, retooling American manufacturing, and strengthening America’s social infrastructure have strong resonance across party lines. While increasing the production of clean energy is important for Democrats and independents, there is a significant drop-off in support among Republicans.
- There is very strong bipartisan support for including protections for workers and the environment when the government is investing taxpayer dollars to rebuild American manufacturing, repair our infrastructure, and make investments in clean, renewable energy.
- Like the rest of the country, voters in the Industrial Midwest evaluate state and national conditions through a partisan lens. While many of BGA’s specific policies and priorities enjoy high levels of support among Democrats and independents, Republicans push back on policies they perceive as associated with a Democratic agenda.
- Job creation is the leading edge for framing investments in infrastructure and manufacturing. These are seen as the most important benefits and are highly credible. In particular, messaging and policies about jobs should: a. Frame in national terms—will stop offshoring and promote products made in America by American workers; b. Emphasize the millions of jobs that will be created across a range of professions.
- In addition to jobs—investments in clean energy should highlight the benefits for a cleaner environment and healthier communities, which are highly important to Democrats and independents and seen as a more credible outcome.
90%
Prioritize repairing and modernizing America's aging physical infrastructure and rebuilding and retooling American manufacturing to build more products and technology here in the United States
84%
Placed a high priority on strengthening America’s social infrastructure, public services, and human service workforce.
72%
Prioritized increasing the production of clean energy and investing in innovative clean technologies was widely supported
SURVEY FINDINGS SUMMARY
/8
“The results of this survey are very clear: no matter who they voted for, people want infrastructure and manufacturing to be the focus of our economic recovery, and they want to make these investments to build a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable economy. What’s more is that there is wide agreement that this recovery must bring good-paying jobs back to the United States, focus on communities that have been left behind, and include measures that ensure that the economy we rebuild today creates the good-paying jobs of the future across the country.”
– Jason Walsh, Executive Director of the BlueGreen Alliance.