New polling suggests the White House has both a challenge and an opportunity when it comes to pitching the public on the American Jobs Plan—a lot of people still don't know much about it but when they find out more, they like it.
That's the takeaway from a new Navigator Research survey showing baseline majority support of 53% for President Joe Biden's $2.3 trillion jobs and infrastructure plan. But just 23% oppose it, while another 24% say they are unsure. The question posed was: “As you may know, President Biden has proposed the ‘American Jobs Plan.’ Do you support or oppose the ‘American Jobs Plan’?”
Support for the plan also roughly matched the number respondents who said they knew "a lot" or "some" about it, 55%, while 45% reported knowing "a little" or "nothing" about it. The big opportunity there is with independents, with fully 57% saying they knew only a little/nothing.
But what is most striking about the poll is how much overall support rises when people hear just a bit more about what is included. The number of those who support the plan shoots up to 70% when the question is asked this way: “Regardless of how much you have heard about the ‘American Jobs Plan,’ do you support or oppose President Biden passing a new infrastructure plan to fix highways, bridges, and roads, expand high speed broadband, upgrade and build new schools, modernize our electric grid, and invest in clean energy?”
What this framing omits is the fact that the plan requires a $2.3 trillion investment, but it also leaves out aspects that have proven very popular with the public, including raising corporate taxes and the creation of millions of jobs.
The new Navigator survey is generally in line with polling by other outlets. Though its baseline support for Biden's jobs/infrastructure proposal comes in a bit lower than some other polling, the support it shows for the specific initiatives in the plan is very much on par with other polling.
Navigator polling on the jobs plan from earlier this month also shows that support for it is growing as more people learn about it. A survey released by the outfit in mid-April showed that when fewer respondents had heard a lot/some about it, 48% (versus 55% now), just 51% said they supported the initiative.
So the more people know, the more they like it, and there's still a good chunk of Americans who don't know much about the plan.