By Abby Springs As of April 2024, twenty-four states and Washington D.C. have legalized the use of marijuana for recreational use, with the drug legal in an additional number of states for medical use. However, marijuana is still illegal on the federal level and classified as a Schedule I drug along with heroin and LSD. In a new survey, Data for Progress finds that 66% of voters, including 75% of Democrats, 67% of Independents, and 54% of Republicans, support legalizing marijuana at the federal level for all adults over the age of 21.     The Biden administration is currently consid ..read more

By Rob Todaro Recently, Data for Progress surveyed 873 LGBTQ+ adults, including an oversample of transgender adults, nationally using web panel respondents. These newly released findings reveal LGBTQ+ adults' impressions of the Biden administration, the Democratic and Republican parties, and the top issues that matter to them when voting. When asked if they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the following people or institutions, LGBTQ+ adults have a favorable view of the Democratic Party (+21) and Joe Biden (+5) and an unfavorable view of the Republican Party (-52) and Donald Trump (-5 ..read more

By Lew Blank In a new national survey, Data for Progress tested public opinion on the Arizona Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold an 1864 law that bans nearly all abortions in the state. The survey, fielded in the days immediately after the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision, finds that a majority of likely voters have heard either “a lot” (34%) or “a little” (46%) about the ban. After being informed that the ruling would ban nearly all abortions in Arizona — including in cases of rape and incest, and with exceptions only for when the life of the mother is in danger — 66% of voters say the ..read more

By Anika Dandekar and Tenneth Fairclough II While many residents of Washington, D.C. — including Black and Latino residents — continue to struggle with the high costs of living in the nation’s capital, Mayor Muriel Bowser recently introduced a budget for the new fiscal year that cuts crucial funding for social safety net programs in the District. Some of these programs include housing assistance for middle-to-low-income households, funding for early childhood development, and Black wealth-building programs.  In collaboration with the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, Data for Progress conduct ..read more

By Ryan O’Donnell and Lew Blank New polling from Data for Progress finds Joe Biden with 47% of the vote and Donald Trump with 46% of the vote in a two-way race. This includes a 43% to 39% edge for Biden among Independent voters.     The survey then asked voters for their choice in a six-way matchup including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Chase Oliver, Jill Stein, and Cornel West. With these third-party candidates included, Biden’s vote share drops by 6 points to 41%, while Trump’s drops by 4 points to 42%.     When asked how certain they are about voting for the candidate they s ..read more

By Abby Springs The Republican Study Committee — which represents nearly 4 in 5 members of the House Republican caucus — recently released a budget that targets Social Security, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and other popular government programs. However, new polling from Data for Progress finds that these elements of the RSC’s budget proposal are widely unpopular with voters.  The RSC budget advocates cutting funding for Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), housing assistance, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). When voters are asked wh ..read more

By Grace Adcox and Catherine Fraser In recent years, consumers across the country have seen their monthly electric and gas utility bills steadily climb, despite declining per capita residential energy consumption over recent decades. While some have pointed to the costs of retrofitting dated grid infrastructure, damage caused by extreme weather events, and international conflict as culprits behind these higher energy costs, utility industry lobbying and additional fees tacked onto monthly statements may also help explain some of the sticker shock that American ratepayers are facing today.  ..read more

With both candidates having received enough delegates to secure their party’s nomination, the stage is officially set for a  2024 presidential rematch between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Moving into the general election, the youth vote — and in particular, how younger voters view the candidates on the issues they care about — will be a critical factor in deciding the next president.  Climate Power and Data for Progress recently surveyed likely voters nationwide, including an oversample of 100 voters ages 18-34, to understand perceptions of recent climate actions taken by th ..read more

By Kevin Hanley As the United States reckons with the impacts of climate change, lawmakers are debating how to pay for the growing costs of climate damages in communities across the nation. New polling from Data for Progress and Fossil Free Media finds that voters believe that oil and gas companies that misled the public about pollution should be held accountable. Half of voters, by a +11-point net margin, think that President Biden should prioritize placing stricter limits on climate pollution produced by fossil fuel companies in 2024. This sentiment is widely held among Democrats (80 percent ..read more

By Kevin Hanley Neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics) are extremely toxic to insects, and often cited as one of the major threats to bees. In Vermont alone, 55 of the state’s 350 species of wild bees are in urgent need of conservation action. From 2016-2022, Vermont beekeepers on average lost 53% of their honey bee hives every year.  In light of recent state legislation in New York prohibiting the use of certain neonics to protect pollinators, birds, and other wildlife, Data for Progress and the Vermont Public Interest Research and Education Fund (VPIREF) conducted research into Vermont vote ..read more