August 13, 2026 – As the cost of raising a child continues to be a major concern, new surveys of nearly 20,000 Americans in 11 competitive states and 28 congressional districts reveal extensive bipartisan common ground in support of wide-ranging federal assistance for families.
Large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans in competitive states and districts surveyed favor:
- increasing federal funding to establish free universal preschools
- subsidizing childcare for low- and middle-income parents
- increasing the Child Tax Credit, back to the level it was temporarily raised to during the Covid era
- establishing a national paid leave program to allow workers to take 12 weeks off to care for a new child, an ill family member, or themselves
The policy questions included in the surveys were derived from federal legislative proposals.
Steven Kull, Director of the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation (PPC) noted, “Raising a child has never been more expensive, and families across the country are feeling that. Bipartisan majorities in the battleground states and districts favor multiple proposals in Congress that ease those financial burdens, including raising the Child Tax Credit, and subsidizing childcare.”
Common Ground in the Battlegrounds? Survey Series
This release is the fifth in the Common Ground in the Battlegrounds? survey series being conducted by PPC in 11 competitive states and 28 competitive U.S. House districts in advance of the midterm elections.
Surveys on fifteen topics are being released on a rolling basis, covering over 100 specific policy questions. The policies – most of which are pending legislative proposals in Congress – have elicited bipartisan agreement nationally. PPC is exploring whether the same bipartisan common ground found at the national level exists in the battlegrounds. The results for all individual states and districts surveyed can be found here. Previously released surveys: Artificial Intelligence, Housing, Healthcare, and Low-income assistance.
Reducing the Cost of Preschool and Childcare
Bipartisan majorities support the federal government providing $25 billion to states or cities that want it, to help them create or expand preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-olds that would be available to all families free of cost. Over three-quarters of Democrats (75 to 92%) and over half of Republicans (56 to 84%) are in favor. Nationally, 89% of Democrats and 69% of Republicans are in favor.
The federal government providing states with funds to subsidize childcare, so that low- and middle-income families spend no more than 7% of their income on childcare, is favored by bipartisan majorities (Democrats 79 to 93%, Republicans 56 to 84%). Nationally, 89% of Democrats and 77% of Republicans are in favor.
Increasing the Child Tax Credit
Increasing the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 up to $3,600 and making it fully refundable (meaning people who owe little or no federal taxes can get the credit as cash), is favored by large majorities of Democrats (73 to 91%) and Republicans (61 to 86%). Nationally, 84% of Democrats and 74% of Republicans are in favor. This is the amount the tax credit was increased to during the Covid-era, but that increase was temporary and expired in 2022.
Creating a National Paid Family and Medical Leave Program
Large majorities of Democrats (72 to 96%) and Republicans (57 to 80%) favor a proposal to allow all workers to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave, to care for a newborn or a family member with a health condition, or to recover from a serious illness. During that time, they would receive two-thirds of their wages, up to $4,000 a month, which would be funded by a new 0.2% payroll tax on both employers and employees. Nationally, 84% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans are in favor.
MORE INFORMATION
- Individual State and District Results
- National Questionnaire with Toplines, Crosstabs and Methodology
About the Surveys
The state and district surveys used for this analysis were fielded May 27 – June 25, 2026, to a total of 19,564 adults, including 600-2,000 in each of the 11 states, and 400-500 in each of the 28 congressional districts. The response rates were 7.1 to 9.0%. The confidence intervals range from +/- 2.9 to 7.6%, and the maximum weights range from 1.9 to 6.9.
The national survey was fielded February 11-26, 2026, with 2,509 adults. The response rate was 7.6%. The confidence interval is +/- 2.9%, and the maximum weight is 2.5.
Sample was obtained from multiple online opt-in panels, including Cint, Dynata and Prodege. Sample collection and quality control was managed by QuantifyAI under the direction of the Program for Public Consultation. The surveys were offered in both English and Spanish.
The samples were pre-stratified and weighted by age, race, ethnicity, gender, education, household income, marital status, and home ownership to match the general adult population. The national sample was further weighted by Census region. Partisan distributions in each sample were within expectations, based on voter registration or Cook’s Partisan Voting Index, or weighted to reflect those benchmarks.
About the Common Ground in the Battlegrounds? Survey Series
The Common Ground in the Battlegrounds? project will conduct and release a survey series in 11 competitive states and 28 competitive U.S. House districts that will be released on a rolling basis between now and the midterm elections. Surveys will cover 15 topics and include over 100 specific policy questions. The goal of this effort is to determine where there is bipartisan common ground in competitive states and districts across the nation. Additionally, the project seeks to educate the public, policymakers and candidates about the findings; and provide journalists with independent, nonpartisan research that brings the public into the conversation about public policy.
In addition to PPC, project partners include the Civic Innovation Center at the University of Maryland (CivIC), and Voice of the People (VOP), a national nonpartisan organization seeking to give the public a greater voice in government. None of these entities advocate for policy positions or endorse candidates.
Program for Public Consultation
The Program for Public Consultation (PPC), affiliated with the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy, develops and conducts public consultation surveys, in which respondents are informed about and deliberate on policy solutions being proposed by elected officials, and give their recommendations. It seeks to improve democratic governance by consulting representative samples of citizens on key public policy proposals, and sharing its findings with officials in government, the media, other academics, and the general public.
Civic Innovation Center
The Civic Innovation Center (CivIC) at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy works to strengthen the foundations of civic health. It contributes to important debates about civic education, civic engagement, and needed democratic reforms in the state of Maryland and nationwide, in partnership with other BIG 10 universities. It works to build the connective tissue that brings together students, scholars and practitioners to help elevate the UMD community’s contribution to our wider democracy.
Voice of the People
Voice of the People (VOP) is a nonpartisan organization working to re-anchor our democracy in its founding principles by giving ‘We the People’ a greater and more effective voice in government. It champions innovative methods and technology that enable the American people to play a role in the policymaking process and provide policymakers with a more accurate understanding of the views of their constituents.