Program for Public Consultation (PPC)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/14753

The Program for Public Consultation (PPC) is joint program of the Center on Policy Attitudes (COPA) and the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. PPC was established to develop the methods and theory of public consultation and to conduct public consultations. In particular it will work with government agencies to help them consult their citizens on key public policy issues that the government faces. The Center on Policy Attitudes was established in 1992 with the express purpose of giving the public a greater voice in the public policy process. Its staff includes social scientists trained in various forms of research, especially survey research, as well as having broad background in public policy.

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Author: search.filters.author.Lewitus, Evan Charles

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    Majorities of Republicans and Democrats Oppose Cutting Medicaid
    (2025-04-16) Kull, Steven; Fehsenfeld, Evan; Lewitus, Evan Charles
    The American public overwhelmingly opposes cuts to federal assistance programs for low-income households, and in most cases favor increasing their benefits. Large majorities of Republicans and Democrats: Oppose cutting Medicaid Support increasing SNAP benefits (food stamps), and not restricting what they can be used for Support increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and having it cover more workers These are some of the findings from a new in-depth survey by the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation (PPC), fielded April 4-9, 2025 with a representative sample of 1,195 adults nationwide.
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    Public Opposes Expanding Presidential Power to Control Independent Agencies, Block Federal Spending, Replace Civil Servants
    (2025-03-13) Kull, Steven; Fehsenfeld, Evan; Lewitus, Evan Charles
    These are some of the findings of a new in-depth survey by the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation (PPC), fielded March 4-7, 2025 with a representative sample of 1,249 adults nationwide. “Though Americans have many frustrations with the federal government, the large majority of Americans do not seem to see giving Presidents more power as the answer,” commented Steven Kull, Director of PPC. Respondents evaluated strongly stated arguments for and against expanding Presidential authority, over independent agencies and federal spending. The arguments against did better, especially those that focused on how centralizing more power in the Presidency risks corruption and politicization of essential government functions, and undermines the Constitution’s separation of powers. Large bipartisan majorities found those arguments convincing. The arguments in favor of expanding Presidential authority – that doing so would better allow Presidents to fulfill their agenda, which the people voted for, and take power away from unaccountable – were found convincing by smaller and less bipartisan majorities.
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    The Role of Government in Abortion: A National Survey of Registered Voters
    (2022-10-24) Kull, Steven; Fehsenfeld, Evan; Lewitus, Evan Charles
    Since the Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the subject of the government’s role in abortion has been foreground in the public discourse. The Supreme Court effectively pushed the decision about abortion to the states, generating widespread debate. Sixteen states have established new laws making abortion illegal at any point in the pregnancy or reinstating such laws that were in place before the Roe v Wade decision. On the other hand, the voters of the relatively conservative state of Kansas rejected a ballot initiative which would have removed protections for abortion from their state’s constitution. A key question is where the American public stands on what role the government, state and/or federal should play in abortions. Standard polls that generally sought to establish public attitudes in single poll questions have produced seemingly contradictory results (to be discussed below).
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    Swing State Survey: Majorities Favor Path to Citizenship over Mass Deportation, While Strengthening the Border
    (2024-10-10) Kull, Steven; Fehsenfeld, Evan; Lewitus, Evan Charles
    As the issue of immigration figures prominently in campaigns across the country, a new survey by the Program for Public Consultation (PPC) in six swing states and nationally finds numerous policies on which majorities of Americans agree, including, in most cases, majorities of both Republicans and Democrats. To deal with the millions of undocumented immigrants who have been living in the US, a majority in every swing state and nationally prefer offering them a path to citizenship, provided they meet several requirements, over mass deportation. To deter illegal border crossings, swing state and national majorities favor strengthening the border and making it harder for illegal immigrants to get employment by requiring that employers use the E-Verify system. At the same time, majorities favor increasing the number of work visas to meet the demand for workers through legal channels. Director of the Program for Public Consultation, Steven Kull, comments, “Majorities favor reforms that would reduce the number of undocumented immigrants, not via mass deportation, but by creating more legal pathways for people who want to live and work here, and by strengthening the border to make it more difficult for people to enter the country illegally.”
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    Americans on Foreign Aid: National Survey Finds Common Ground on Foreign Aid Spending
    (2025-02-08) Kull, Steven; Fehsenfeld, Evan; Lewitus, Evan Charles
    An overwhelming majority of 89% of Americans say the US should spend at least one percent of the federal budget on foreign aid – the current amount the US spends on aid. This includes 84% of Republicans and 94% of Democrats. Fifty-eight percent oppose abolishing the US Agency for International Development and folding its functions into the State Department, including 77% of Democrats and 62% of independents. But 60% of Republicans favor the move. These are some of the findings of a new survey by the Program for Public Consultation at the University of Maryland, fielded February 6-7, 2025 with a representative sample of 1,160 adults nationwide.
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    Regulating Artificial Intelligence: A National Survey of Registered Voters
    (2024-03-29) Kull, Steven; Fehsenfeld, Evan; Lewitus, Evan Charles
    As the House’s new Task Force on Artificial Intelligence considers how government should address AI issues, such as deepfakes in the election and bias in algorithms, a new survey finds very large bipartisan majorities favor giving the federal government broad powers to regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI). They endorse seven proposals currently under consideration in Congress and the Executive Branch for regulating AI-generated deepfakes and AI making decisions with the potential for harm. Internationally, as the United Nations agrees on a US-led resolution to ensure AI does not violate human rights, voters favor the US working to establish an international agency to regulate large-scale AI projects, and create an international treaty prohibiting AI-controlled weapons.
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    Bipartisan Majorities Favor Tax Incentives For Clean Energy and Efficiency
    (2020-11-13) Kull, Steven; Fehsenfeld, Evan; Lewitus, Evan Charles
    A new in-depth survey finds bipartisan majorities support a number of tax incentives that seek to reduce the use of fossil fuels. The proposals, all introduced in Congress, include measures to encourage developing alternative sources of clean energy–such as solar and wind, making homes and commercial buildings more energy efficient, and the use of electric vehicles. The support from majorities of Republicans and Democrats was rooted in voter concern about the health effects of fossil fuels as well as their impact on climate.
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    Overwhelming Bipartisan Majorities Favor Greater Restrictions on Lobbying by Former Government Officials
    (2017-12) Kull, Steven; Fehsenfeld, Evan; Lewitus, Evan Charles; Martens, Francesca
    Overwhelming bipartisan majorities support proposed legislation that calls for extending the period that former government officials must wait before they can lobby the government and prohibiting former executive branch officials from ever lobbying on behalf of foreign governments. Similarly, large majorities favor ending the support the government currently provides for former US Presidents. Currently, former Members of Congress are prohibited from lobbying Congress for two years after leaving office. Proposed legislation H.R. 383 by Rep. Posey [R-FL-8], H.R. 796 by Rep. DeSantis [R-FL-6], H.R. 1951 by Rep. O’Halleran [D-AZ-1] and H.R. 346 by Rep. Trott [R-MI-11] calls for extending this period to five years. In the survey, 77 percent approved of such an extension, including 80% of Republicans and 73% of Democrats.
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    Overwhelming Bi-Partisan Majority Opposes Allowing Churches, Other Nonprofits, to Engage in Political Activity
    (2017-11-28) Kull, Steven; Fehsenfeld, Evan; Martens, Francesca; Lewitus, Evan Charles
    An overwhelming majority of 79% voters oppose the proposal to allow churches and other non-profit organizations to endorse political candidates and provide them money and other support. This includes 71% of Republicans as well as 88% of Democrats and 78% on independents. Most (55%) say it is ‘very important’ to keep the current law. The proposal to reverse the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits political activity by tax-exempt organizations, is in the House tax reform bill and in other proposed legislation, including H.R. 172, H.R. 781, and S. 264.
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    Overwhelming Bipartisan Majority Opposes Repealing Net Neutrality
    (2017-12) Kull, Steven; Fehsenfeld, Evan; Martens, Francesca; Lewitus, Evan Charles
    Overwhelming bipartisan majorities oppose the plan that the Federal Communications Commission will consider this Thursday, December 14, to repeal the regulations requiring net neutrality. Respondents were given a short briefing and asked to evaluate arguments for and against the proposal before making their final recommendation. The survey content was reviewed by experts in favor and against net neutrality, to ensure that the briefing was accurate and balanced and that the strongest arguments were presented. At the conclusion, 83% opposed repealing net neutrality, including 75% of Republicans, as well as 89% of Democrats and 86% of independents.