The Value of Water Campaign released the results from its fourth annual national poll in early April. The survey found significant bipartisan support for water infrastructure investments: 85 percent of American voters support increasing federal water infrastructure investment. The poll also found most voters are willing to pay more for improved water service, but overwhelmingly want the federal government to step up and address the issue.
Key poll findings include:
- Americans support rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, more than any other issue facing the current administration, including building a border wall and repealing or replacing Obamacare. Over three-fourths of voters (79 percent) say rebuilding America’s infrastructure is extremely or very important.
- More than two-thirds of Americans (68 percent) support investment in water infrastructure at the national, state, and local levels – even when told that investment carries a $1.2 trillion price tag.
- Four in five (80 percent) American voters say what they pay for water service is affordable, and more than three in five voters would be willing to pay a modest increase in local water rates to fund improved service.
- Support for investing in water infrastructure is bipartisan and cuts across age, gender, party, geography, and ideology.
- Water quality concerns emphasize a need for investment and innovation. Seventy-four percent of Americans – living in both urban and rural areas – are concerned about contaminants affecting their water quality.
- More than five in eight Americans support local water agencies increasing the use of potable recycled water in their community.
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More information on the poll results can be found on the Value of Water Campaign website.