Poll: Biden, Democrats Fail to Sell Spending Bills to Americans

Most Americans are not aware of what is in Democrats’ spending bills, and many doubt the programs would improve the economy or their everyday lives, according to an ABC/Ipsos poll released Sunday.

While 55 percent of those polled said they are following infrastructure spending negotiations “somewhat closely,” nearly seven in ten (69 percent) Americans said “they know just some or little to nothing about what’s in both bills,” according to the report. Less than a third (31 percent) said they know “a great deal or good amount.”

“Despite Republicans having sat on the sidelines while the White House works exclusively with congressional Democrats to get both bills to the president’s desk, the lack of knowledge extends across all parties,” ABC News reported.

Americans also do not think the bills — which are heavily aimed at fighting climate change and creating cradle to grave government assistance programs — will improve the economy if they are signed into law. Overall, only 25 percent of those polled think the spending bills will help them, while 32 percent think the bills would do more harm than good. Eighteen percent said the bills will not make a difference, and 24 percent said they do not know.

Despite strong Democrat support of President Joe Biden overall, less than half of Americans (47 percent) think the spending bills will help them. Roughly, a quarter thinks the bills will not have any impact, and 22 percent are not sure. Unsurprisingly, Republicans are less enthused, with 64 percent saying they think the bills would cause hardships to everyday Americans. Twenty-nine percent of independent voters agree.

“The American public is evenly divided — 34 percent to 34 percent — over whether they believe these bills would help or hurt the U.S. economy if they become law,” according to the report. “Very few (6 percent) think the bills would have no effect on the economy, and a quarter don’t know.”

Democrats are more likely to have a charitable view of how the spending bills will affect the economy — 68 percent think the legislation will improve it, compared to 7 percent of Republicans and 29 percent of independents, according to the poll, which was conducted October 29 to October 30 with 514 adults. The margin of error is ± 4.7 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

The lack of public understanding and enthusiasm for Democrats’ spending bills is a bad sign for Biden. His main Build Back Better agenda is floundering as Democrat infighting stalls the spending bills from passing — all while his ratings continue to drop in nearly every category.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

According to the poll, Biden’s approval ratings concerning the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, immigration, Afghanistan, economic recovery, crime, and infrastructure have been on the decline for several months. His disapproval ratings regarding taxes and climate change are also higher than his approval rating: 44 percent approve and 55 percent disapprove of how he has handled taxes. Forty-eight percent of those polled approve of his approach to climate change compared to 52 percent who disapprove.