Federal CTC and EITC
Child Tax Credit Polling Summary
06. 13. 2021
Voters support “expanding the child tax credit so that it provides families."
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Late spring data
DFP-Community Change-ESP, May 2021
- By a margin of 15 points (54% support to 39% opposed), voters support “expanding the child tax credit so that it provides families up to $250 per month for each child 17 and under – and $300 per month for each child they have under 6 years of age. The proposal would be available to all middle-class and low-income families of most incomes.” This includes majorities of both Democrats and Independents
- .Support grows with knowledge: Voters who have heard some or a lot about the policy are 7 points more supportive than average voters.
- An 18-point majority (55% to 37%) support raising taxes on Americans making more than $400,000 and Americans who make over $1 million through investments to pay for the expanded CTC.
- A strong 30-point majority (59% to 29%) support distributing the CTC monthly, instead of in one lump sum.
- Only 47% of likely voters, and 66% of CTC-eligible parents, have heard some or a lot about this policy, so as awareness grows (which will happen chiefly after payments start in July), support is poised to grow.
- This difference tracks with income: 43% of voters earning less than $50K have heard much about the policy compared to 55% of voters earning over $100K.
- Among voters who say they would likely be eligible for the CTC, 80% support the policy and 81% support monthly payments.
- 71% of voters support the IRS setting up a simplified filing portal to make it easier to claim the credit, including bipartisan supermajorities.
- Messaging guidance:
- Calling this policy the expanded Child Tax Credit is more popular than other names that have been tested.
- Describing the credit in terms of the amount per child each month is more popular than describing the credit by referring to the annual total per child.
- Describing the credit as supporting parents is more popular than describing it as supporting children.
- A message that the Child Tax Credit is a “tax cut for most families with children” is a stronger argument on permanence than simply “expanding the Child Tax Credit” (+32 net support compared to +25).
- A message around “delivering critical financial support to families, especially working parents, who are struggling with expenses like childcare” is somewhat stronger than a message about “cutting child poverty in the United States in half,” particularly among Republicans.
Winter/Early spring data
- Increase the Child Tax Credit and provide an extra boost for families with children under the age of 5 to help them make necessary investments during the critical early years of life. (65% support/26% oppose incl 76% Dems, 64% Ind, 53% Reps)
- (Also 62/26 for expanded EITC, and 54/37 for recurring direct payments: Provide direct monthly payments to middle-class families up to $3,000 per year for single people earning $50,000 per year or less, and up to $6,000 annually for married people earning $100,000 per year or less.)
- Basic needs vs welfare:
- 58% agree: The government should help ensure that all families have access to basic living standards like health care, nutrition, and housing if their wages are too low or they can’t make ends meet.
- 37% agree: Welfare programs trap people in poverty by leaving them dependent on the government and penalizing work.
- Some lawmakers in Congress are proposing creating a permanent child allowance that provides $4,200 per year for every child up to the age of 6, as well as $3,000 per year for every child age 6 to 17. Under this plan, it starts to shrink for individuals who make more than $200,000 annually, as well as $400,000 for joint filers. (48 support/40 oppose incl 61/26 D, 35/50 R)
- Some lawmakers in Congress are proposing creating a permanent child allowance that provides $4,200 per year for every child up to the age of 6, as well as $3,000 per year for every child age 6 to 17. Under this plan, it starts to shrink for individuals who make more than $200,000 annually, as well as $400,000 for joint filers. This would be paid for by cutting some existing welfare programs and modifying others. (37 support/52 oppose: Dems and Inds lose 30 points net support compared to better version–Dems drop from strong support to roughly even–Rs were already -15 and drop 8 more points)
- Forced choice:
- 46% agree “As a country we should be doing more to reduce child poverty, making sure kids, for example, have enough food to eat. This means getting money to families who need it and if some parents end up working fewer hours that’s okay”
- 47% agree “Our focus should be on building self sufficient families and it’s important that parents are working to provide for their children. If we give poor families too much money they’ll come to depend on the government.”
- Some Lawmakers are proposing creating a child allowance that provides some amount per child to households and would be open to all middle-class and low-income families. Which statement comes closer to your view, even if neither is exactly right?
- 48% Lawmakers are right to try to do this because this country should do more to reduce child poverty, as well as making it easier to start and raise a family.
- 39% Lawmakers are wrong to do this because some families may receive more in benefits than they pay in taxes and this creates dependency.
- Separate question: If this program is created, how concerned or not concerned would you be that some single mothers would choose to slightly reduce the number of hours they work for a wage each week? (57% concerned, 43% not concerned)
- Some lawmakers in Congress are proposing expanding the Child Tax Credit so that it provides $3,000 per year for each child under the age of 17 – and $3,600 for young children under the age of 6. (68% support, 21 opposed incl 79/12 D, 60/27 R)
- Notably, the question did not specify that this increase would expire at the end of the year or tie it to the pandemic recession.
- Provide a tax credit to families of $3,000 for each child under age 17: avg +45
- AZ: 71 support/29 opposed incl 88% of Ds, 69% Is, 63% Rs (+42)
- GA: 74/26 (+48)
- Provide annual payments to families of $3,000 for each child under age 17: avg +10
- AZ: 53 support/47 opposed (+6)
- GA: 57/43 (+14)
- Rated as one of the top 2 priorities for Congress to pass:
- AZ: Stimulus checks 61%, CTC in the 3rd tier with 18%
- GA: Stimulus checks 63%, CTC in the middle of the next tier with 25% (along with unemployment, min wage, paid sick leave)