Most voters back a second $2 trillion stimulus package, new poll says
Seven in 10 voters support another $2 trillion stimulus package to help out state and local governments, as well as residents, during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new poll.
A New York Times/Sienna College survey of 987 likely voters conducted from Oct. 15-18 found 72% of respondents, including more than half of Republicans, support another stimulus plan. The margin of error was 3.4 percentage points.
Democrats, Republicans and the White House have struggled to agree on a follow-up relief package to the CARES Act that went into law in March and provided most Americans with $1,200 stimulus check payments during the coronavirus pandemic, along with an additional $600 weekly unemployment benefits.
The majority of voters also supported giving a public health insurance option through the federal government — providing Americans an alternative to private insurance plans — and Biden’s $2 trillion plan for renewable energy, according to the poll.
Slightly over half of respondents support the Affordable Care Act, the law signed by President Barack Obama which provides health coverage to millions of Americans, and implementing a national mask mandate. Voters were split on raising the corporate tax rate and fracking — the process of drilling into the earth to release gas, which has raised environmental concerns.
The majority of voters said they didn’t support implementing a coronavirus vaccine mandate across the country. Only 32% supported such a move.
Fifty-three percent of voters said they viewed Biden in somewhat or very favorable terms, compared with 43 percent who said the same of Trump. A majority had unfavorable views of Trump, according to the poll.
Most respondents preferred Biden over Trump, with Biden favored to lead the United States’ response to the coronavirus pandemic over Trump by 12 points. Biden was also preferred to pick Supreme Court justices and “maintain law and order” by six points compared to Trump. Overall, Biden was seen as “more capable of uniting the country” than Trump by about 20 points.
Fifty percent of the voters said they intend to vote for Biden while 41% backed Trump and 3% supported other candidates.
