Feeling the effects of the pandemic, voters seek robust recovery plan
Broad approval for state leaders amid support for new taxes on high incomes, large businesses
As lawmakers close the books on one state budget and begin work on the next, Massachusetts voters favor action on many short- and long-term priorities. Those include several emergency measures to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, alongside durable investments in health care, education, and the economy. To pay for it all, voters support raising taxes on corporations and high-income residents.
That’s according to a new poll of Massachusetts registered voters conducted December 8-20, 2020 by The MassINC Polling Group. The poll was sponsored by The Boston Foundation, The Hyams Foundation, King Boston, Amplify Latinx, BECMA, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, The Bridgewater State University Foundation, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, and individual contributors.
The poll will be presented at a MassINC online forum at noon on Wednesday, January 13. Click here to register for the event.
Voters see pressing needs for state leaders to address as the COVID-19 pandemic rolls on. They support emergency funding for COVID-19 testing and vaccinations (86% support, 63% strong support), emergency paid sick leave (84%), housing assistance for renters, owners, and landlords (84%), and emergency funding to preserve public transit for essential workers (86%).
Looking at the long term, voters’ priorities are more familiar. They include:
Lowering the cost of health care (66% very important) while increasing access to it (60%);
Improving K-12 education (56%);
Job training for those who lost work during the pandemic (55%);
Reducing housing costs (53%); and
Making public higher education more affordable (52%).
The poll included oversamples of Black and Latino voters, enabling a deeper analysis of each group. For example, 64% of Black voters and 64% of Latino voters call affordable childcare a “very important” priority, compared to 45% of white voters, who were more likely to call it “somewhat important.” Black and Latino voters were also far more likely to prioritize investing in communities of color, diversifying state contracts, and supporting home ownership for lower income residents.
“Black and Latino voters agree with white voters on how to fund recovery needs, but they identify a much longer to do-list for state leaders,” said Steve Koczela, president of the MassINC Polling Group. “The poll treats state budget issues as fundamental to equity, and the differences in the data demonstrate the importance of this approach.”
Lawmakers responding to the pandemic while funding the rest of state government will likely encounter a budget gap, and the poll asked voters about new taxes to balance the books as the state emerges from the pandemic. Most popular, with 72% support, is the proposal to add a 4% surtax to incomes over $1 million. Support for this proposal holds whether the funds are specified for transportation and education or not. MPG has surveyed this issue on many occasions and found consistently broad support. Also drawing strong support was raising the tax on corporate profits (68%). There is much less interest in raising the state’s income, sales, and gas taxes, or in hiking tuition at public colleges and universities.
The support for the so-called income surtax is in keeping with voters’ perception that high-income households and large businesses pay too little in taxes while other groups pay too much or about the right amount. Majorities think upper-income residents (60%) and large businesses (56%) pay too little. Even among upper-income voters (those making $150,000 a year or more), 59% think upper-income households pay too little in taxes. Making sure all taxpayers pay their fair amount was the top priority when voters were asked how legislators should think about taxes moving forward.
The income surtax would require an amendment to the state’s constitution and approval by voters at the polls in 2022. Lawmakers looking to raise revenue in the meantime will have to contend with the fact that a majority (55%) of voters believe that the Commonwealth’s taxes are higher than other states. And 64% think it is “very important” that the state make the best use of existing resources before raising new taxes.
Other key figures from the poll:
63% support emergency funding to help public colleges through the pandemic;
59% support eliminating fares on public buses (31% oppose), while 50% support eliminating all transit fares (38% oppose);
81% support extending emergency benefits to laid off or furloughed workers who have paid state taxes. Most (70%) support extending these benefits regardless of workers’ immigration status;
84% support emergency COVID funding for small businesses in the state;
Both Governor Charlie Baker and the state legislature enjoy high job approval ratings (73% and 65%, respectively).
About The MassINC Polling Group: The MassINC Polling Group is a nonpartisan public opinion research firm serving public, private, and social-sector clients. MPG elevates the public's voice with cutting-edge methods and rigorous analysis. Based in Boston, MPG serves a nationwide client base.
About the poll: These results are based on a survey of 1,522 Massachusetts registered voters. Live telephone interviews and online interviews were conducted in English and Spanish from December 8-20, 2020. Telephone respondents were reached by both landline and cell phone. Oversamples of Black and Latino voters were obtained to bring the total interview count up to at least 250 for each group for the base sample. Results within race and ethnicity were weighted to age, gender, geography, and education level for each group. Groups were then combined and weighted to the population parameters by race for the state as a whole. The poll was sponsored by The Boston Foundation, The Hyams Foundation, King Boston, Amplify Latinx, BECMA, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, The Bridgewater State University Foundation, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, and individual contributors.