Bipartisan majorities in Minnesota agree: SNAP benefits, Medicaid, EITC, minimum wage should be increased

Amid ongoing political debates about spending on low-income assistance programs, a new survey in Minnesota reveals bipartisan common ground in favor of the federal government providing more assistance to low-income households.
 
When given the option to increase, decrease or maintain current levels, majorities of both Democrats and Republicans favored:
• Increasing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps
• Increasing federal spending on Medicaid, to provide health insurance to more low-income people
• Raising the federal minimum wage
 
Proposals to increase the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-income workers without children, and expand eligibility, are also favored by majorities of both Democrats and Republicans.
 
Steven Kull, Director of the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation (PPC), noted, “To help  low income families afford healthcare and groceries, majorities of Minnesotans across parties and all income levels favor more government assistance.”
 
Common Ground in the Battlegrounds?
This survey release is the fourth in the Common Ground in the Battlegrounds? survey series being conducted by the Program for Public Consultation (PPC) in the run-up to the November election in 11 competitive states and 28 competitive U.S. House districts.
 
Surveys on 11additional topics will be released on a rolling basis between now and the midterm elections, covering over 100 specific policy questions. The policies – most of which are pending in Congress – were chosen because surveys by PPC and others consistently found majority Republican and Democratic agreement nationally. The results for all individual states and districts can be found here.
 
SNAP Benefits
A majority of Democrats (87%) and Republicans (75%) say monthly benefits for individuals living alone should be higher than the current average of $170. The median democrat says it should be $240, and the median Republican $250.
 
For monthly SNAP benefits to single mothers, a majority of Democrats (77%) and Republicans (59%) say it should be higher than the current average of $530. The median Democrat says it should be $600, and the median Republican $580.
 
The government providing discounts on fruit and vegetables bought with SNAP benefits is favored by 91% of Democrats and 83% of Republicans.
 
Bipartisan majorities in most competitive states and districts surveyed say benefits should be higher, and discounts should be provided for fruits and vegetables.
 
Spending on Medicaid
Given the option to increase federal spending on Medicaid and cover more people, keep it the same, or decrease it and cover fewer people, a majority of Democrats (86%) and Republicans (79%) say it should be increased.
 
Bipartisan majorities in every competitive state and district surveyed say spending on Medicaid should be higher.
 
The federal minimum wage
Told that the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, and asked to specify how much they think it should be, an overwhelming majority of Democrats (97%) and Republicans (89%) chose a higher wage. The median democrat says it should be $15, and the median Republican $14.
 
Across the battleground states and districts as a whole, the median Democrat says it should be $15 an hour, and the median Republican $12.
 
Tax credits for low-income workers without children
Bipartisan majorities favor several proposals to expand and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), specifically for low-income workers without children (who receive substantially less benefits than workers with children).
 
Raising the limit on the maximum amount of the EITC credit from $630 to $1,300 a year is favored by a large majority of Democrats (82%) and Republicans (77%).
 
Raising the limit on the amount of savings people can have and still get the EITC credit (for individuals from $18,500 to $24,000; for married couples from $25,500 to $33,000) is favored by a large majority of Democrats (86%) and Republicans (79%).
 
Lowering the age of eligibility from 25 to 21 is favored by a majority of Democrats (73%) and Republicans (66%).
 
Bipartisan majorities in every competitive state and district surveyed favored all three proposals to increase and expand eligibility for the EITC.
 
MORE INFORMATION

• Minnesota + National Questionnaire with Toplines, Crosstabs and Methodology
• All State and District Results 

Program for Public Consultation
The Program for Public Consultation (PPC), affiliated with the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy, develops and conducts public consultation surveys, in which respondents are informed about and deliberate on policy solutions being proposed by elected officials, and give their recommendations. It seeks to improve democratic governance by consulting representative samples of citizens on key public policy proposals, and sharing its findings with officials in government, the media, other academics, and the general public.
 
Civic Innovation Center
The Civic Innovation Center (CivIC) at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy works to strengthen the foundations of civic health. It contributes to important debates about civic education, civic engagement, and needed democratic reforms in the state of Maryland and nationwide, in partnership with other BIG 10 universities. It works to build the connective tissue that brings together students, scholars and practitioners to help elevate the UMD community’s contribution to our wider democracy.
 
Voice of the People
Voice Of the People (VOP) is a nonpartisan organization working to re-anchor our democracy in its founding principles by giving ‘We the People’ a greater and more effective voice in government. It champions innovative methods and technology that enable the American people to play a role in the policymaking process and provide policymakers with a more accurate understanding of the views of their constituents.