Exclusive: Poll finds bipartisan infrastructure plan has wide support
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The bipartisan infrastructure plan and many of its individual provisions, enjoy majority of support among likely voters, according to new polling from the advocacy group Climate Power and the left-leaning polling firm Data for Progress, provided first to Axios.
Why it matters: The bill, which contains billions for modernizing the electrical grid, making communities more resilient to climate disasters and boosting electric vehicles, needs at least 10 Republican votes to pass in the Senate.
Context: The poll of 1,194 likely voters, which was conducted on July 29-30, found rising levels of concern among likely voters of both parties regarding extreme weather events, when compared to a June survey.
- This likely reflects the disasters seen so far this summer, from heat waves to floods and wildfires, which scientists tie in large part to human-caused climate change.
- The poll also found increased levels of concern that future generations will be more affected by extreme weather events compared to today.
Details: The poll found that 71% of likely voters, including a majority of likely Republican voters, support the bipartisan infrastructure framework.
- The pollsters also asked participants how important it is for lawmakers to make additional investments to combat climate change and transition to clean energy, in addition to what is contained in the bipartisan agreement.
- This question, which tests the popularity of Democrats' plan to pass a bigger spending bill through a party-line vote, showed that 75% of voters consider such spending "very important" or "somewhat important," including 55% of likely Republican voters.
- Interestingly, while 63% of likely voters said they support a government investment to accelerate the production and adoption of electric vehicles, that goal is not supported by the majority of likely Republican voters.
What's next: The polling, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3%, bolsters the case for lawmakers who favor the bill, which could pass the Senate in the next week, although its fate in the House is less clear.