COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND (August 13, 2026) — As the cost of raising a child continues to be a major concern, a new survey in Iowa and its most competitive congressional districts – the first, second, and third — reveal extensive bipartisan common ground in support of wide-ranging federal assistance for families.
Large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans in all 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; and
- establishing a national paid leave program to allow workers to take twelve weeks off to care for a new child, or a family member with an illness.
The policy questions included in the survey 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 Iowa 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 eleven competitive states and 28 competitive US 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 three- and four-year-olds that would be available to all families free of cost.
- Iowa-statewide: 87% of Democrats, 67% of Republicans
- Iowa-1: 87% of Democrats, 70% of Republicans
- Iowa-2: 84% of Democrats, 67% of Republicans
- Iowa 3: 88% of Democrats, 62% of Republicans
- Iowa-4: 88% of Democrats, 67% of Republicans
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.
- Iowa-statewide: 88% of Democrats, 77% of Republicans
- Iowa-1: 89% of Democrats, 80% of Republicans
- Iowa-2: 86% of Democrats, 74% of Republicans
- Iowa-3: 87% of Democrats, 78% of Republicans
- Iowa-4: 91% of Democrats, 76% of Republicans
Bipartisan majorities in all competitive states and districts surveyed favor these proposals.
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 bipartisan majorities. This is the amount the tax credit was increased to during the Covid-era, but that increase was temporary and expired in 2022.
- Iowa-statewide: 80% of Democrats, 75% of Republicans
- Iowa-1: 80% of Democrats, 71% of Republicans
- Iowa-2: 76% of Democrats, 79% of Republicans
- Iowa-3: 83% of Democrats, 71% of Republicans
- Iowa-4: 81% of Democrats, 79% of Republicans
Bipartisan majorities in all competitive states and districts surveyed favor this proposal.
Creating a National Paid Family and Medical Leave Program
Large bipartisan majorities favor a proposal to allow all workers to take up to twelve 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.
- Iowa-statewide: 78% of Democrats, 69% of Republicans
- Iowa-1: 83% of Democrats, 66% of Republicans
- Iowa-2: 78% of Democrats, 74% of Republicans
- Iowa-3: 78% of Democrats, 66% of Republicans
- Iowa-4: 74% of Democrats, 70% of Republicans
Bipartisan majorities in all competitive states and districts surveyed favor this proposal.
MORE INFORMATION
- Iowa + National Questionnaire with Toplines, Crosstabs and Methodology
- Individual State and District Results
About the Surveys
The Iowa surveys were fielded May 27-June 23, 2026, to 2000 adults, including 500 in Iowa’s First, Second, Third, and Fourth congressional districts. The response rates were 7.1 to 8.7%. The confidence intervals range from +/- 2.9 to 6.0%, and the maximum weights range from 5.5 to 6.7.
The national survey was fielded February 11-26, 2026, with 2,509 adults nationally. The response rate was 7.6%. The confidence interval is +/- 2.9%, and the maximum weight is 2.51.
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
This series will include surveys in eleven competitive states and 28 competitive US House districts and be released on a rolling basis between now and the mid‑term elections. Surveys will cover fifteen topics and include over 100 specific policy questions.
The goal of this effort is to reveal the public’s views — in competitive states and districts — focusing on policy questions that have elicited bipartisan agreement nationally. The project seeks to educate the public, policymakers, and candidates about the findings; and provide journalists with independent, non-partisan research that brings the public into the conversation about public policy.
Project partners include the Program for Public Consultation (PPC), the Civic Innovation Center at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy (CivIC), and Voice of the People (VOP). 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 non-partisan 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.
