Arlington, VA -- A new national survey conducted jointly by leading Republican and Democratic researchers reveals that voters across the political spectrum overwhelmingly oppose eliminating federal funding for public television and that more than 7 in 10 see public television as a good or excellent value for their tax dollars, on par with investments in highways, roads and bridges.
The telephone survey of 1001 registered voters was conducted in early January by a bipartisan polling team from American Viewpoint (R) and Hart Research Associates (D) on behalf of public television. In a joint memo released today, the pollsters write, "Our survey finds that while the country may be deeply divided on many issues, the importance of federal funding for public television is not one of them. In fact, with remarkable consistency, majorities of voters of all political stripes support federal funding for public television and do not want to see it eliminated. Voters see public television as a good value proposition for the American taxpayer, and express high levels of concern about the consequences should federal funding for public television be eliminated."
Key findings of the survey include:
"These results show that Republican and President Trump voters overwhelmingly support public television and strongly oppose eliminating its federal funding," said Linda DiVall of American Viewpoint. "The voters that elected the President, including a majority of Republicans, put the taxpayer value delivered by public television on par with building highways, roads and bridges. Both are seen as high-value investments in America and its future."
"The enormous benefits that public television delivers in terms of public safety and children's programming are recognized across party lines," said Geoff Garin of Hart Research Associates. "In a time of deep division in Washington and around the country, the strong bipartisan support for continued federal funding of public television is remarkable."
Survey Background
Hart Research Associates (D) and American Viewpoint (R) conducted a nationwide telephone survey among a representative cross-section of 1001 registered voters. Interviewing was conducted January 4-8, 2017, and the survey has an overall margin of error of ±3.1%.
Charts and analysis of the Hart Research -- American Viewpoint survey are available here.
A memo on the results by Hart Research -- American Viewpoint can be found here.
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