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Despite the steady drumbeat of assertions that Americans are highly polarized, bipartisan majorities say that if the public were to have more influence on members of Congress, they would be more likely to find common ground. This is according to a new survey conducted by the Program for Public Consultation (PPC) in Minnesota, as well as in other battleground states and districts, and nationally.
Minnesotans believe, on average, that federally elected officials do what the majority of Americans would do just 41 percent of the time (Democrats 42 percent, Republicans 43 percent). A bipartisan majority also says that if members of Congress were more influenced by the people, they would be more likely to serve the common good.
When news outlets cover stories about public policy, a bipartisan majority says it is very important that public opinion data be included.
Surveys by PPC and others have consistently revealed that there is more common ground among the people than in Congress. For dozens of issues on which Congress has not been able to find agreement, bipartisan majorities of the public agree on concrete policy solutions. This is true nationally, and in PPC’s ongoing battleground survey series.
Steven Kull, Director of the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation (PPC), noted, “The American public overwhelmingly feels that if elected officials were to reflect the will of ‘We the People,’ they would be more likely to find common ground. And as our survey series has shown, there is clearly far more common ground among the people than in Congress.”
He adds, “If the public’s views were more prominent in the public discourse–in the media and in Congress–this would have a stabilizing and unifying effect.”
Federally Elected Officials Seen as Out of Step With the People
Asked to estimate what percent of the Despite the steady drumbeat of assertions that Americans are highly polarized, bipartisan majorities say that if the public were to have more influence on members of Congress, they would be more likely to find common ground. This is according to a new survey conducted by the Program for Public Consultation (PPC) in Minnesota, as well as in other battleground states and districts, and nationally.
Minnesotans believe, on average, that federally elected officials do what the majority of Americans would do just 41 percent of the time (Democrats 42 percent, Republicans 43 percent). A bipartisan majority also says that if members of Congress were more influenced by the people, they would be more likely to serve the common good.
When news outlets cover stories about public policy, a bipartisan majority says it is very important that public opinion data be included.
Surveys by PPC and others have consistently revealed that there is more common ground among the people than in Congress. For dozens of issues on which Congress has not been able to find agreement, bipartisan majorities of the public agree on concrete policy solutions. This is true nationally, and in PPC’s ongoing battleground survey series.
Steven Kull, Director of the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation (PPC), noted, “The American public overwhelmingly feels that if elected officials were to reflect the will of ‘We the People,’ they would be more likely to find common ground. And as our survey series has shown, there is clearly far more common ground among the people than in Congress.”
He adds, “If the public’s views were more prominent in the public discourse–in the media and in Congress–this would have a stabilizing and unifying effect.”
Federally Elected Officials Seen as Out of Step With the People
Asked to estimate what percent of the time elected officials in the federal government make the same decisions that the majority of Americans would make, the mean estimate among Minnesotans was less than half the time (Democrats 42 percent, Republicans 43 percent, overall 41 percent).
Congress Seen as More Likely to Find Common Ground, Serve the Common Good if They Would Listen to the People
A bipartisan majority of over eight in 10 say that if members of Congress were more influenced by the views of the people, they would be more likely to “find common ground” (Democrats 92%, Republicans 92%, overall 90%).
Even when presented the argument that polarization in Congress is just a reflection of the general public, a large bipartisan majority opted instead for the argument say that if members of Congress were to take into account the views of the people, this would help break the logjam in government, because the people are less polarized than Congress. (Democrats 82%, Republicans 67%, overall 73%).
An overwhelming bipartisan majority says that if members of Congress were more influenced by the people than they are now, they would be more likely, “to serve the common good” (Democrats 91%, Republicans 91%, overall 89%).
How Responsive Should Congress Be to the Majority Views of Their Constituents?
A very large bipartisan majority says that, if a clear majority of constituents agrees on what should be done about a policy issue, their views should have substantial influence on their members of Congress. Asked to rate how much influence it should have on a 0-10 scale, the mean response is 7.8 (Democrats 7.8, Republicans 8.1).
Strong Demand for Including Public Opinion in News Coverage of Policy Debates
Asked how often news pieces about a policy issue should include relevant public opinion data – when there is reliable data – a large bipartisan majority says most of the time or always (Democrats 81%, Republicans 85%, overall 80%).
A large bipartisan majority also says that, if Congress is about to vote on a law, it is very or extremely important for news outlets to report on whether a majority of Americans favor or oppose that law (Democrats 78%, Republicans 81%, overall 77%).
About the Surveys
The Minnesota survey was fielded June 24 - July 1, 2026, to 600 adults. The response rate was 7.2%. The confidence interval is +/- 4.3%, and the maximum weight is 2.0.
The national survey was fielded March 11-19, 2026 with 1,200 adults nationally. The response rate was 8.3%. The confidence interval is +/- 2.9%, and the maximum weight is 1.9.
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. The distribution of partisan affiliation was weighted to be within expectations, based on voter registration data for non-leaners and/or Cook’s Partisan Voting Index for leaners.
About the Common Ground in the Battlegrounds? Survey Series
The Common Ground in the Battlegrounds? project is conducting and releasing a survey series in 11 competitive states and 28 competitive U.S. House districts, being released on a rolling basis through the midterm elections. Surveys will cover 15 topics and include over 100 specific policy questions. The goal of this effort is to determine where there is bipartisan common ground in competitive states and districts across the nation. Additionally, the project seeks to educate the public, policymakers and candidates about the findings; and provide journalists with independent, nonpartisan research that brings the public into the conversation about public policy.
In addition to PPC, project partners include the Civic Innovation Center at the University of Maryland (CivIC), and Voice of the People (VOP), a national nonpartisan organization seeking to give the public a greater voice in government. 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, seeks to improve democratic governance by consulting the public and bringing the people’s views into the public discourse. It conducts surveys with representative samples on policies proposed by elected officials and shares its findings with government officials, 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 nonpartisan 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.time elected officials in the federal government make the same decisions that the majority of Americans would make, the mean estimate among Minnesotans was less than half the time (Democrats 42 percent, Republicans 43 percent, overall 41 percent).
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