DFP’s newsletter of our latest polls, memos, and memes.

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After the Uvalde Shooting, Majority of Voters Support Red Flag Laws and Stricter Gun Control

Following the devastating shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Data for Progress conducted polling regarding views on gun reform and proposed gun control policies. At the same time, a bipartisan group of senators released a plan ([link removed]) to tackle gun violence through federal reforms, such as implementing red flag laws, closing the “boyfriend loophole,” and raising the age limit to purchase a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21. Data for Progress polling finds overwhelming support for these gun reforms.

We find that voters overwhelmingly support red flag laws by a +50-point margin, including Democrats by a +77-point margin, Independents by a +55-point margin, and Republicans by a +21-point margin.

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Data for Progress also asked voters about the Uvalde Police Department’s response to the shooting. Uvalde police officers waited outside of Robb Elementary School for40 minutes ([link removed]) while the gunman was inside, and videos ([link removed]) from outside the school show officers tackling and tasing parents as they pleaded with the officers to enter the school. When asked about the police's response to the shooting, 83 percent of voters reported that they perceived UPD’s response as “somewhat bad” or “very bad.”

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Read the full polling analysis here ([link removed]) .

Here are some other highlights from DFP this week:

Voters Are Begging Cancel Culture To Come For Student Debt

Since late February, Data for Progress and Student Borrower Protection Center have conducted six surveys, researching voters’ attitudes on student loans and debt cancellation. Majorities of voters who are borrowers report little confidence in their ability to make loan payments if the payment pause were lifted. Among the entire electorate, we consistently find broad support for loan cancellation, including among majorities of voters with no bachelor’s degrees and voters with no current student loan debt.


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Read the full memo here ([link removed]) .


Big Tech Is The New Big Tobacco

Cracking down on the largest technology companies in the world, including Google, Amazon, Apple, and Meta (Facebook), has become an increasingly salient issue in D.C. and for voters across the country. Almost all the Big Tech giants are currently subject to ([link removed]) multiple lawsuits, federal and state regulation, and antitrust investigations both in the U.S. and around the world.

New Data for Progress polling ([link removed]) reveals that voters agree by a +39-point margin (63 percent agree, 24 percent disagree) that Big Tech’s economic power is a problem facing the U.S. economy. That includes a +41-point margin for Independents (62 percent agree, 21 percent disagree) and a +31-point margin for Republicans (59 percent agree, 28 percent disagree).

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Read the full polling analysis here ([link removed]) and let’s get Elon off Twitter.

More Police Is Not Always The Answer!

Over the past few years, Virginia has made a number of important strides toward reforming its criminal justice system into one that is more effective and more equitable to residents across the state. In line with previous polling ([link removed]) in the state, a strong majority of respondents (73 percent of all likely Virginia voters) feel that their communities are just as safe or more safe than they were before the reforms went into effect.

While much of this result is driven by Democrats, 85 percent of whom feel as safe or more safe in their communities, they are also joined by a majority of both Independents (70 percent) and Republicans (62 percent) who agree with the sentiment. Many of the listed reforms have been in place for well over a year, showing that Virginians are not perturbed by the persistent fear mongering around reforms.

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Read the full polling analysis here ([link removed]) .


Take It To The Streets.

In the months leading up to and following the 2020 election, in the wake of a brutal insurrection and years of racial justice protests, commentators debated ([link removed]) whether events like the protests in Kenosha, Wis., jeopardized Joe Biden’s ability to win key swing states in order to reach the necessary Electoral College votes. Evidence was sparse in those debates, and as we near the 2022 midterm elections, it’s crucial for us to contextualize protests and clarify their role with regard to Democratic performance at the ballot box (especially as protests are likely to return over gun violence, abortion access, and LGBTQIA+ rights).


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There appears to be no obvious data backing the claim that protests harmed Democrats’ electoral performance, outside of Kenosha. However, we would be remiss in neglecting to state that even if our analysis did show a slight negative impact by protests on Biden’s vote share, that wouldn’t mean protests should all be discouraged.

Read the full polling analysis here ([link removed]) and remain vocal about the important issues at stake!

Donate to DFP ([link removed])


** DFP In The News
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** Vox:Democracy in America is a rigged game ([link removed])
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Vox:Democrats need an enemy on inflation. Enter “corporate greed.” ([link removed])

Fortune:Countries are censoring the new Buzz Lightyear movie over a same-sex kissing scene. It’s not the first time that Disney has faced LGBTQ backlash ([link removed])

The 19th:These companies publicly oppose anti-LGBTQ+ bills. Some also fund lawmakers who sponsor them. ([link removed])

them.:These Companies Publicly Oppose Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills. Some Fund Lawmakers Who Sponsor Them ([link removed])

Business Insider:The majority of Republicans under 50 want Biden to cancel student debt for all borrowers, a new report finds — and so do most Americans ([link removed])

USA Today:Climate worries voters of color ([link removed])

The Daily Beast:Break Up the Big Tech Giants, the People Want It! ([link removed])

Real Simple:4 Meaningful Ways to Support The LGBTQ+ Community This Pride Month (and Always) ([link removed])

Truthout:To Win Midterms, Sanders Tells Democrats to Take Fight Directly to GOP ([link removed])

Adweek:AT&T, Toyota and Amazon Fund Anti-LGBTQ+ Lawmakers ([link removed])

DCist:Your Guide To Maryland’s Local Primary Races ([link removed])

Xtra Magazine:The same companies sponsoring Pride events are supporting anti-LGBTQ2S+ lawmakers ([link removed])

Franchise Times:What Franchise Brands Can Do for Pride Instead of 'Rainbow Washing' ([link removed])

The San Diego Union Tribune:How long COVID could change the way we think about disability ([link removed])

The Daily Utah Chronicle:Lien: Pride Has Become a Corporate Sell-Out ([link removed])

Common Dreams:Progressives Rip Corporations for 'Using Inflation as a Cover Story to Jack Up Prices and Pad Profits' ([link removed])

On Social
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Dems Deliver

So apparently, $35 million in funding from the bipartisan infrastructure bill will be used to fund two waterways in Middlesex County, NJ.

That sounds great and all, but we’re just wondering how the federal government can give $35 million to a place that does not exist. Middlesex County falls into the part of New Jersey that some people claim is “Central Jersey.” Before you get too freaked out, let us assure you that Central Jersey is about as real as Trump’s hair. The Data for Progress communications team (specifically one Data for Progress communications fellow with strong opinions about New Jersey) firmly takes the hard line that there are two Jerseys: north and south. We do not believe this to be a hot take. It is ice cold.

If the people of Middlesex County are willing to come to the table and agree that they live in South Jersey, a very real place, then sure, their waterways can be fixed. But you expect us to buy that a fake geographical region can receive $197.4 million in new federal funding for infrastructure, including $30 million for the Cheesequake Creek Jetty rehabilitation project and $5.5 million for the dredging and survey of the Raritan River in Middlesex County?

Congressman Frank Pallone, who apparently thinks he represents two counties in Central Jersey, wants us to believe that $3.2 million in disaster relief funding will go toward the engineering and design of flood control projects in the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge, Keansburg and East Keansburg? We’ll believe it when we see it. Or, when that funding goes to Middlesex County of South Jersey. More information about the South Jersey waterway funding can be found here ([link removed]) .

Middlesex County, do not fear, you will get your funding. Your waterways will be fixed. But please don’t pretend to be something you’re not. You’re part of South Jersey. You can claim Bruce Springsteen, Wawa, and being superior to “shoobies” during the summer. We love you as you are.

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