This week, American Action Network (AAN) released key findings from a recent survey conducted by The Terrance Group. AAN, a center-right issue advocacy organization, polled 1,000 likely voters in thirty congressional districts across the country to see what kind of issues were resonating with voters. While there are sure to be new issues that arise over the next year, the survey results provide helpful insights as to what type of messaging could be most effective for Republicans next year. Below are several key takeaways from the poll.
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Americans Oppose Socialist Policies – 65% of those polled agree with the conservative view “we should have less government regulation of our lives, and more freedom and economic opportunity.” Only 26% of those polled held the liberal view that “we should pursue a ‘socialist agenda’ where government should have more control over things and balance out the inequalities between the wealthy and everyone else.” The survey shows that highlighting “the liberal view as ‘socialist’ creates +10 points of net movement toward the conservative view.”
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Republicans Must Explain The Consequences Of Socialist Policies – The survey demonstrates that it is not enough for Conservatives to simply say their opponents support policies like the Green New Deal or Medicare for All; they must explain how those policies could negatively impact voters. For example, informing the survey respondents that Medicare for All “would mean doctor shortages, longer wait times for urgent medical care, and delays in access to the latest drugs for cancer and other serious diseases” dramatically increased opposition to the proposal. Once informed of these consequences, support for Medicare for All drops to only 34% and opposition rises to 60%. A similar trend occurred when respondents were told that the Green New Deal “could cost $93 trillion dollars, an impact of $65,000 per household each year, including a three thousand dollar increase in energy bills.”
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The Most Unpopular Proposal: Universal Income – When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) unveiled the Green New Deal earlier this year, her office also released a proposal FAQ. Although the FAQ was retracted, a key point from the document was that the Green New Deal would provide guaranteed income for people who are capable of working but say they are “unwilling to work.” AAN’s poll revealed that this proposal was opposed by 81% of respondents with 71% strongly opposing it, making it the most unpopular socialist policy on AAN’s survey.