Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax proposal gets solid support in a New York Times|SurveyMonkey poll, with 61 percent of people saying they approve of her plan to institute a two percent tax on households whose wealth exceeds $50 million. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s plan has only mixed support, with 51 percent of people approving and 45 percent disapproving of her push to raise the top marginal income tax rate from 37 percent to 70 percent for incomes of $10 million or more.
Democrats support both plans equally (and overwhelmingly)--75 percent approve of each plan. Warren’s plan fares better than AOC’s among Republicans, however, as her proposal even ekes out a slight majority of support among Republicans (51 percent approve, 46 percent disapprove). Two-thirds of Republicans (67 percent) oppose Ocasio-Cortez’s proposed tax hike.
Before thinking about the various tax proposals, a majority of people (62 percent) say the federal government should pursue policies that try to reduce the gap between wealthy and less well-off Americans. Democrats and independents overwhelmingly support this idea (87 percent and 70 percent, respectively), while Republicans are more in favor of not pursuing these policies (59 percent say the federal government should not pursue them).
Nearly half of people (47 percent) say that having an economic system that can allow for some people to “accumulate billions of dollars while others have very little or no assets” is not a moral issue. Nearly four in 10 (38 percent) say this is immoral, and 12 percent say it is moral. Republicans are those most likely to view this as moral (23 percent) or not a moral issue (63 percent), while Democrats are most likely to view it as immoral (63 percent).
For more detailed results, click through the interactive toplines below.
Read more about our polling methodology here.
Question text:
Which one of the following issues matters MOST to you right now?
Would you say that you and your family are better off or worse off financially than you were a year ago?
Now looking ahead - do you think that a year from now you and your family will be better off financially, worse off financially, or just about the same as now?
Now turning to business conditions in the country as a whole - do you think that during the next 12 months we'll have good or bad times financially?
Looking ahead, which would you say is more likely to take place in the next five years for the country as a whole:
Thinking about the big things people buy for their homes - such as furniture, a stove, a television… Generally speaking, do you think now is a good or bad time for people to buy major household items?
Do you think the federal government should or should not pursue policies that try to reduce the gap between wealthy and less well-off Americans?
Is it moral or immoral to have an economic system where some people can accumulate billions of dollars while others have very little or no assets?
Do you approve or disapprove of raising the top marginal income tax rate from 37 percent to 70 percent for incomes of $10 million or more?
Do you approve or disapprove of a two percent tax on households whose net worth (including income, real estate, stocks, and other investments) is more than $50 million?
Now, thinking about all of your investments, including retirement savings at work, do you currently have money invested in stocks or mutual funds?
