WASHINGTON – New polling from Data for Progress and the DC Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI) shows near unanimous support from DC voters for investments in programs and services that support residents experiencing economic hardship. Polling found that DC voters overwhelmingly support each of the following proposals:
- Increasing food security, by a +89-point margin
- Expanding access to affordable child care, by a +88-point margin
- Building and preserving more affordable housing, and increasing housing support for people experiencing homelessness, both by a +86-point margin
- Creating a local child tax credit, by a +68-point margin
The polling found large discrepancies in economic hardship between Black and white voters. Compared with 13 percent of white voters who say their household has experienced difficulties affording groceries in the past year, a majority of Black voters (51 percent) report the same. This racial inequity is stark and longstanding. While poverty in DC declined in 2022 thanks to a combination of factors including federal and local investments in response to the pandemic, Black poverty is eight percentage points higher than the rate overall.
“The progress DC has made towards tackling poverty shows that we can’t pull back on these efforts now – and voters agree,” says Erica Williams, Executive Director of DCFPI. “Many in the District, particularly Black households, are struggling to make ends meet. DC residents have made it clear they support ongoing investments in people’s economic security. We want to live in a place where everyone has their basic needs met.”
A majority of voters (55 percent) also believe the RFK stadium site should be used mostly for housing and neighborhood amenities, compared to only 39 percent of voters who say it should be used for a football stadium.
“This polling shows most voters agree that we should not continue making bad deals for prestige over the best interests for DC residents’ actual needs, especially poor residents who can’t afford this city,” says Lark Yasmin, a DC resident who grew up near RFK in the 1990s, and a member of the No Billionaire’s Playground coalition.