(CN) — Two polls released Wednesday revealed most Americans are behind the $1.9 trillion stimulus package passed by the House of Representatives — without any GOP support — and now being entertained by the Senate.
A Monmouth University Poll reports that while some are willing to consider some changes to the bill, the bulk of Americans (62%) say they back the stimulus package and its provisions. Just 34% say they are against it.
An overwhelming 92% of Democrats and just a little over half of independents say they support the latest lifeline. Just 33% of Republicans say they back the bill.
Perhaps one of the most crucial components to the bill — direct payments of $1,400 to Americans who qualify — is also largely supported by the public. Just over half (53%) say this amount is good for them, while another 28% would like to see a heftier check. Only 14% say they would like a smaller payment.
Even a provision in the bill to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour is supported by just over half of all Americans. But the provision will likely be stripped as the bill moves through the Senate.
When it comes to making changes to the bill to drum up more support from Republicans, the public is not fully on board. Just a little under half (48%) of Americans say they would accept some changes to make the bill more bipartisan though they’re not OK with changes that would affect the $1,400 stimulus checks.
Around 7 in 10 Americans say the $1,400 checks should stay as they are even if that means the bill passes on a party-line vote — including majorities of both Democrat and Republican respondents.
“Bipartisanship sounds great on paper, but a $1,400 check sounds even better,” Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said with the release of the poll. “It would be a mistake to look at these numbers and assume GOP legislators will pay a price for their opposition. They know that the checks will reach their base regardless and they can continue to rail against Democratic excesses. There would only be a problem if they somehow managed to sink the bill.”
The Monmouth poll is not alone in reporting support for the stimulus bill. Another poll released Wednesday by Morning Consult/Politico revealed 77% of Americans approve of the package. It also didn’t seem to matter much when respondents were informed the plan comes from Democrats, with support dropping just slightly to 71%.
Nearly 6 in 10 Republicans say they back the stimulus package, and their support also survived when reminded it’s been a Democratic effort so far.
The Morning Consult/Politico poll reports strong support for increasing the minimum wage. The poll reveals that 40% of Americans are supportive of raising the minimum wage all the way to $15 an hour, while another 29% say they would at least support a raise to $11 an hour. The remaining voters — around 1 in 5 — say they don’t believe the minimum wage should be raised at all.
While most Democrats say they back the full increase to $15, Republicans are not as convinced. Just 16% say they support the full wage bump and 35% say would support the $11 increase. Another 4 in 10 say they don’t want to see the minimum wage increased at all.
All of these numbers come in as Americans continue to assess the first 100 days of President Joe Biden’s time in the White House.
Both polls released Wednesday revealed a small majority of Americans approve of his job performance thus far — 51% approval from Monmouth respondents and 57% approval from those asked by Morning Consult/Politico — though that number has dropped slightly from January.
“It’s probably not a surprise that Biden’s honeymoon period has closed quickly,” Murray said. “He does maintain a net positive rating, but the Covid stimulus package will be the first significant test of how stable that support is.”
The Monmouth University poll involved 802 adults and has a 3.5% margin of error. The Morning Consult/Politico poll was conducted with 1,992 registered voters and has a 2% margin of error.
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