President Joe Biden’s COVID relief bill, which he signed on Thursday, passed Congress with no Republican support. But the latest Economist/YouGov poll suggests that there are plenty of Republicans in the country who like the bill, and most favor several of its key provisions.
Nine in ten Americans (91%) have heard something about the legislation. Those who are aware of it support the legislation by more than two to one (64% to 31%). While only a third of Republicans say they favor the legislation overall (31%), there are components of the bill that receive majority GOP support.
More than three in four (77%) favor the $160 billion to be spent on the national vaccination program, and seven in ten approve the $300 weekly additional unemployment benefits. Two in three adults nationally (69%) support raising the child tax credit, while nearly as many (64%) favor funding state and local governments to create new jobs.
Most Americans support many components of the COVID-19 aid package, including $1400 stimulus checks
The $1,400 direct payments to every individual making less than $75,000 a year, along with the money for the vaccine program, are the most popular parts of the legislation. Three-quarters of Americans overall support the direct payments (78%).
The $1,400 direct payment and the allocation for the national vaccine program are the two most popular items for Republicans, too. Almost two-thirds of Republicans favor each of those sections (65% and 68% support, respectively).
Half of Republicans approve of increasing the child tax credit (51%) and extending the additional $300 in weekly jobless benefits (53%). But Republicans are less keen on payments to state and local governments for job creation: 44% of Republicans support this, 50% oppose it.
Two-thirds of Republicans support $1400 relief checks and a $160 billion nationwide vaccine program