ISSUE #26
JUNE 2025
Public Consultation Finds Bipartisan Support for Clean Energy Incentives
| At a time when environmental protections are under scrutiny and offshore drilling expansion is back on the table, a new public consultation survey from the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation (PPC) reveals broad bipartisan agreement among Americans. Majorities of Republicans and Democrats alike support maintaining or even expanding key federal policies designed to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. This includes tax credits for clean energy production, home energy-efficiency improvements and electric vehicles and charging stations. In all cases, bipartisan majorities—ranging from 77% to 89%—prefer to keep or increase these incentives, suggesting Americans are firmly on board with the government continuing to subsidize business to reduce emissions. Click here for the full findings. |
Americans Want to Rein in Presidential Authority
| Americans across the political spectrum are concerned about the growing power of the presidency and favor Congress playing a more active role. A recent public opinion analysis from the Program for Public Consultation, featured in The Fulcrum, shows overwhelming support for reining in presidential powers. Read more here |
Americans United on Medicaid, SNAP, and Support for Low-Wage Workers
| A new public consultation survey from the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation (PPC) finds that, across party lines, Americans overwhelmingly oppose cutting Medicaid and instead favor bolstering support for low-income households.Large bipartisan majorities support increasing benefits through SNAP (food stamps), expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit for workers without children, and continuing Medicaid expansion at the state level. While the conversations in Congress are split between cuts and expansions, this survey shows that the public at large agree on expanding government assistance programs, regardless of party affiliation. For more on the findings, click here. |
Chatbots for Democracy? Meet AskThePublic
| In a fresh take on civic tech, EU researchers have unveiled AskThePublic, a chatbot designed to make public consultation more engaging and accessible. This intuitive tool helps citizens explore policy feedback and complex proposals in plain language—offering a guided experience through the often-overwhelming landscape of policymaking. Early users praised its clarity and usefulness, especially for those eager to understand and participate more fully in democratic processes. As governments explore new ways to include the public in decision-making, AskThePublic shows how digital innovation can help bridge the gap.Read the research behind the tool here: AskThePublic on arXiv |
Broad Support Across Income Groups for Expanding Government Assistance to Low-Income Households
| A recent PPC survey reveals a notable consensus across income groups regarding policies aimed at enhancing the financial stability of low-income households. Notably, support for increasing assistance is high across all income levels, and independent of whether the person would personally benefit.Across all income levels, there is strong majority support for doubling the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for workers without children. Support is consistently high among households earning less than $30,000 annually (69%) to those earning over $150,000 (65%), as well across educational attainment (66-70%). Majorities of all income groups also support raising the income cutoff to receive EITC (61-69%), and lowering the age of eligibility (62-73%). Increasing federal spending on Medicaid is supported by majorities of each income group as well, with no difference (statistically speaking) between the lowest and highest income groups (52 and 56%, respectively).Majorities across income levels also support increasing SNAP benefits for single mothers and individuals living alone, and for the government subsidizing discounts on fruits and vegetables bought using SNAP credits.The only policy area in the survey in which larger differences between income groups were found, was on the issue of prohibiting certain foods like sodas and snacks from being bought using SNAP benefits. Prohibiting sodas from being bought with SNAP credits is supported by just 29% of those making under $30,000, while among other income groups it is 44-50% support. For candy, just 28% of very low income households favor a ban, while among other income groups support is 49-55%.Taken together, the data reveals that support for government assistance programs like Medicaid and SNAP does not depend on whether a person directly benefits from those programs. Americans of all socio-economic statuses agree that low-income assistance should be increased. |