Does Abundance Poll Well?

Back in May, polling done by Demand Progress sought to find out how Americans view the “Abundance vs. Populism” discourse. There were many debates regarding whether the language of the questions were fair, if biases were skewing results and so forth. However, I am not going to debate the merits of this poll. I find that if I had an idealized dream candidate for 2028 who ran solely on a wonky book discussing zoning reform, streamlining permitting timelines through partial rollbacks of state-level laws like CEQA, and federal laws like NEPA, it would be a hilarious campaign. Plus, it would make only a small fraction of us happy. Think about it, can you imagine your Mother or another close relative who is not attuned to these technocratic debates being inspired by this? Probably not!

That said, even with the wonky phrasing in some of these questions, for example the centered use of “bottlenecks” is one question (that is most likely a nod to a book that had only been out a few months at the time), I actually found the polling on this abundance argument stronger than expected. 43.5% of voters said they'd be more/somewhat likely to support a candidate making that case, including 59% of Republicans and 40.6% of independents. For such an abstract, policy-wonk frame to persuade >40% of voters that Democrats need to win over, shows the underlying appeal of abundance politics runs deeper than many realize.

Image Credit: Demand Progress

This does not mean that the values in the Abundance book wouldn't poll well or benefit a diverse set of Americans—namely, lowering the cost of living and increasing government's ability to accomplish goals to create a more progressive future.

But “abundance” is not just an abstract idea. It’s a constellation of steps we can take to start fixing what’s broken. And our hypothesis is that if you bring specificity and ask voters about specific actions that will solve shortages and address how they feel like they’re falling behind, then people start to get a lot more hopeful—and get behind a vision of abundance.

We compiled polling from trusted national sources, and the story is consistent: voters want more providers, more supply, faster action, and less red tape when it comes to making their lives better.

For example:

Healthcare Abundance

• Expanding health care providers. A national Harris Poll found 92% of U.S. adults support using physician assistants (PAs) to ease provider shortages, and 91% support updating PA/NP scope-of-practice laws so these clinicians can practice to the full extent of their training. Likewise, a 2022 survey of patients found 82% want nurse practitioners to be allowed to deliver care up to their full education and clinical training. These near-unanimous figures show that voters want more doctors and clinicians, not occupational licensing regimes that limit access without improving quality, and will back policies that increase the health workforce.

• Let people take their skills across state lines. In 2021, the APA 2021 Public Opinion Poll: Access to Care, found 62% of respondents said they would use telehealth for a physical health concern or illness. Twenty-six states—more than half the country—have now enacted universal licensing-recognition laws since 2013, making it easier for newcomers (including military spouses) to get to work quickly. Legislators don’t pass reforms that broad without confidence they’re popular.

• Expanding competition in hospitals. Empowering and properly funding the FTC so it can block hospital mega-mergers, outlaw anti-competitive contracting clauses, and police local monopolies is popular with 75 percent of voters, a bipartisan super-majority that sees consolidation as a prime driver of soaring medical bills.

• Cover GLP-1 drugs for weight-related conditions. Polling shows 61% favorable opinion toward insurance coverage for medications like Ozempic when prescribed for diabetes, heart disease, or other weight-related health conditions. This reflects an understanding that preventing expensive complications through early treatment saves money long-term.

These are core planks of what we have highlighted in our Cost of Living Agenda, and other think tanks like the Niskanen Center and Institute for Progress have included in their “Abundance Agenda,” with the former having released a paper last year titled “Healthcare Abundance.” reforming overly restrictive occupational licensing and regulatory barriers so that supply can meet demand in essential sectors like health care. In particular, Niskanen has argued that expanding scope of practice for non-MD providers is one of the clearest ways to increase access, reduce costs, and address shortages in underserved areas, especially as America faces a looming physician shortfall. Abundance, in this context, means not just more stuff, it means more capacity to care. And voters, it turns out, are overwhelmingly on board with that.

Housing: Building More, Everywhere

• Fast, clear permitting processes. Pew Charitable Trusts polling shows 86% net support for "one-stop shop" permitting that streamlines the approval process for new housing. This reflects frustration with bureaucratic delays that drive up costs and slow construction.

• Apartments near transit and job centers. The same Pew research found 81% support for building apartments near transit stations and employment hubs. This shows Americans understand the connection between housing location and reducing commute times and transportation costs.

• Mixed-use and commercial-area conversions. With 75% support according to Pew, voters strongly back converting underused commercial spaces into residential units. This approach maximizes existing infrastructure while creating new housing supply in established neighborhoods.

• Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) policies. Pew found 73% support basement and attic ADU conversions, while 72% back backyard or over-garage ADUs. These "granny flats" help homeowners afford their mortgages while adding rental supply to neighborhoods.

• Legalize missing middle housing. Even the more ambitious policy of legalizing duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes on any residential lot garners 58% support in Pew polling. This shows majority backing for ending single-family-only zoning restrictions.

• Scrap rigid parking minimums. Pew research shows 62% support eliminating mandatory parking requirements that drive up housing costs and reduce walkability. This policy change allows developers to build more affordable units while supporting transit-oriented development.

Building Clean, Cheap Power Infrastructure

• Use existing highway rights-of-way for transmission. A NextGen Highways poll found 77% support in Iowa for using existing highway rights-of-way for new transmission lines, with 62% favoring the needed policy changes to make this happen. This approach reduces environmental impact while speeding deployment of critical grid infrastructure.

• Streamlined NEPA permitting compromise. Polling shows 52% support streamlining environmental permitting processes, with only 25% opposed. While this shows more modest support than other energy policies, it still represents a clear majority backing faster project approvals when environmental protections are maintained.

• Critical-minerals security. A comprehensive survey found 67% of voters want the federal government more active in domestic mining for critical minerals needed for clean energy technology, with strong bipartisan support (59% of Democrats, 68% of independents, 75% of Republicans). This reflects growing awareness that energy independence requires domestic mineral production capacity.

The energy polling reveals Democrats now have "the high ground of price" while Republicans have become "the party of electricity shortages." Power demand is projected to increase nearly 20 percent over the next five years and wind and solar accounting for 93 percent of new power added to the grid last year. Reshaping the energy debate to focus on the rising costs of energy bills, 9% increase this year alone, voters will understand we need to build more energy infrastructure from all sources—not less.

Helping out Kids!

• Refundable Child Tax Credit expansion. YouGov/Data for Progress polling shows 85% of parents support expanding the Child Tax Credit to $300 per month for children under 6. This direct cash assistance helps families afford basic necessities while supporting local economies.

• "Medicare for Kids" public option. Polling shows 60% support for a public health insurance plan available to all Americans under age 26. This would ensure all American children maintain coverage even as they age and experience career transitions while reducing family healthcare costs.

• Universal free school meals. With 60% public support, providing free breakfast and lunch to all students regardless of family income eliminates stigma while ensuring proper nutrition for learning. This policy also reduces administrative costs and paperwork for schools.

• Allow safe baby formula imports. An overwhelming 82% support letting the FDA approve safe baby formula from other countries with strong regulatory systems. The 2022 formula shortage highlighted how protectionist policies can endanger infants when domestic production fails.

These policies show how “abundance politics” works in practice: removing artificial barriers that make life harder for families. Whether it's bureaucratic rules that limit formula imports during shortages or insurance restrictions that force families to choose between medication and groceries, voters want the government to clear obstacles rather than create them. The strong polling reflects parents' lived experience, they know these policies would make their daily lives more affordable and less stressful, which is exactly the kind of concrete benefit that builds political trust.

Benefits Over Theory

If there's a lesson from this polling, it's not to abandon abundance, it's to stop leading with theory. Lead with benefits. Don't tell voters you're pro-abundance; tell them their kid's asthma meds will cost less next year, there'll be a new clinic in their neighborhood, we're finally fixing the nurse shortage. When people can see how these policies impact their daily lives, that's how they begin to rebuild trust.

As Ron Davis wrote in The Atlantic, too many on the left have mistaken the YIMBY movement, key allies in the overall “abundance movement”, for a conservative project, when it's actually about breaking the chokehold of entrenched interests that hoard wealth and power. In housing, that means tackling zoning rules manipulated by incumbent homeowners. In healthcare, it means loosening restrictive licensing laws that serve legacy gatekeepers. We should reject the false dichotomy that traps us in a zero-sum worldview.

As Obama has recently stated, we need to start looking past ideology, and focusing more on how Democrats can get power to work for everyone.

Image Credit: Ezra Klein

The same entrenched interests that block new housing to protect property values also lobby against nurse practitioners to protect doctor salaries, and fight transmission lines to preserve utility profits. Policies that fall within the Abundance framework, threaten these cozy arrangements by expanding supply, increasing competition, and lowering costs for everyone else.

Abundance isn't anti-populist, anti-worker, or anti-justice—it's pro-results. It's pro-capacity. It's fighting scarcity in housing, healthcare, and food not because we love just total deregulation, but because we want regular people to live better lives. The polling shows Americans are ready for this vision. The challenge isn't to water it down or abandon it, but to describe it clearly. Don't just say "abundance." Say: more homes, more doctors, cheaper groceries, better schools. That's the progressive case. And it wins.