Government & Politics

Heartland/Rasmussen Polls on the Great Reset, Socialism, and Free Speech

Published January 5, 2021

Likely Voters Reject Radical ‘Great Reset’ Movement

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL (December 16, 2020) – A new poll by The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports finds that most voters have an unfavorable view of the “Great Reset” agenda supported by Joe Biden, the World Economic Forum, and other international political and business leaders.

Among those surveyed on December 6-7 who said they have heard of the Great Reset, a majority (53%) said they “somewhat oppose” (10%) or “strongly oppose” (43%) the movement, with the most common reply among all options being “strongly oppose.”

When asked, “How influential should international institutions like the United Nations, World Economic Forum, and International Monetary Fund be in creating regulations governing United States businesses?,” only 9% of respondents answered “very influential,” and 21% answered “somewhat influential.” Conversely, 22% said “not very influential,” and 37% answered “not influential at all.”

The results of this survey clearly show most American voters do not believe international organizations should have a significant amount of influence in America’s economic affairs. The results also demonstrate that most Americans stand in opposition to calls for increased globalism, such as the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset movement, which has already been backed by the incoming Biden administration.

Further, just 3% of likely voters said they believe that “using business resources to pursue social justice causes” should be the main priority of American businesses, which is a primary element of the Great Reset agenda. On the other hand, 44% of likely voters said U.S. businesses should focus on “providing individual consumers with high quality products and services at the lowest prices.”

See the full results of the poll below, including some of the key data from the crosstabs.

The following quotes can be used for attribution. If you’d like to interview a Heartland Institute expert on the Great Reset, including Editorial Director Justin Haskins, one of America’s leading voices opposing the Great Reset, please contact Justin at [email protected] or Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected], or call/text Jim’s cell at 312-731-9364.

“The results from the survey we conducted with Rasmussen Reports are clear: American voters do not support the Great Reset’s radical, anti-capitalism agenda, and they most certainly don’t want international institutions influencing U.S. policy.

“President-elect Joe Biden and his choice for ‘climate czar,’ John Kerry, have already embraced the Great Reset agenda, in complete contradiction to the desires of the American people. If they follow through with their plan to push the United States toward the Great Reset, they will almost certainly pay for it during the 2022 mid-term elections.”

Justin Haskins
Editorial Director and Research Fellow, The Heartland Institute
Co-Lead, Stopping Socialism Project
[email protected]
312/377-4000

“As the Rasmussen/Heartland poll shows, a majority of likely American voters reject the left’s calls for increased globalism. Americans understand that national sovereignty is superior to global governance. Further, according to the data, Americans are weary, as they should be, about the World Economic Forum’s anti-capitalist Great Reset movement. Apparently, Americans are well-aware that globalism is not the answer to U.S. policy issues.”

Chris Talgo
Editor and Research Fellow
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000

National Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters
Conducted December 6-7, 2020
By The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports

1. Are you familiar with the Great Reset movement, a global economic strategy in response to the pandemic that seeks to change the priorities of capitalism?

35% Yes
41% No
24% Not sure

Interesting Crosstabs:

52% of government workers said they are familiar with the Reset, the highest of any employment demographic. (70% of government workers who had heard of the Great Reset said they support it, by far the highest level of support for the Reset. The next closest was people who work for a “private company,” with 43% support.)
The ideological group most likely to be familiar with the Great Reset was conservatives (44%), followed by moderates (31%) and liberals (23%)

2. (Answered by 350 Likely Voters who have heard of the Great Reset movement) Do you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose the Great Reset movement?

22% Strongly favor
20% Somewhat favor
10% Somewhat oppose
43% Strongly oppose
4% Not sure

Interesting Crosstabs:

76% of Republicans say they do NOT favor the Great Reset. About 3% weren’t sure.
72% of Democrats said they favor it.
67% of “other” party affiliations say they do NOT favor the Great Reset.

3. Do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable impression of the United Nations?

21% Very favorable
34% Somewhat favorable
19% Somewhat unfavorable
17% Very unfavorable
9% Not sure

Interesting Crosstabs:

66% of government workers said they have a “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable” impression, the highest of any employment demographic tested.
77% of respondents who said socialism is better than a “free-market economic system” also had a “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable” impression of the U.N.

4. How influential should international institutions like the United Nations, World Economic Forum, and International Monetary Fund be in reducing economic inequality in the United States?

13% Very influential
31% Somewhat influential
18% Not very influential
25% Not at all influential
14% Not sure

Interesting Crosstabs:

65% of government workers said “very influential” or “somewhat influential,” the highest of any employment demographic tested.

5. How influential should international institutions like the United Nations, World Economic Forum, and International Monetary Fund be in crafting United States policies meant to address climate change?

19% Very influential
30% Somewhat influential
15% Not very influential
28% Not at all influential
8% Not sure

Interesting Crosstabs:

***Important Note: In a separate survey conducted with the same group at the same time as this one, less than 39 percent of all respondents said they believe BOTH that climate change is primarily caused by humans and “federal or state governments [should] require people to engage in activities that will lower carbon-dioxide emissions.” (This strongly indicates that “influential” here for many people does not include regulations.)
66% of government workers said “very influential” or “somewhat influential,” the highest of any employment demographic tested.

6. How influential should international institutions like the United Nations, World Economic Forum, and International Monetary Fund be in creating regulations governing United States businesses?

9% Very influential
21% Somewhat influential
22% Not very influential
37% Not at all influential
11% Not sure

Interesting Crosstabs:

Not a crosstab, but note that only about 30% of all respondents said “very influential” or “somewhat influential,” showing the vast majority of Americans do not want international institutions involved in U.S. affairs. (58% said they don’t think they should be influential.)
57% of government workers said “very influential” or “somewhat influential,” the highest of any employment demographic tested by far. (Next closes was “private company” employee, at 37%.)

7. What should be the highest priority for businesses in the United States….earning a profit to benefit shareholders or owners, providing individual consumers with high quality products and services at the lowest prices, providing good benefits and pay to employees, climate change or using business resources to pursue social justice causes?

13% Earning a profit to benefit shareholders or owners
44% Providing individual consumers with high quality products and services at the lowest prices

27% Providing good benefits and pay to employees
6% Climate change

3% Using business resources to pursue social justice causes
7% Not sure

Interesting Crosstabs:

Only 8% of Democrats said “climate change.” Just 4% of Democrats said “social justice causes.”

NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

1 in 4 Voters Support Free Speech Bans

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL (December 17, 2020) – A new poll by The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports finds that most likely voters believe freedom of speech should remain robust in the United States.

When asked, “Should federal or state governments ban speech by individuals that a majority of Americans believes to be offensive, including speech on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter?,” 56% of likely voters said, “no.” Only 26% of likely voters responded, “yes,” while 18% said they are “not sure.”

Likewise, most likely voters do not think jail time is a reasonable punishment for those who engage in speech a majority of Americans believes to be offensive. When asked, “Should those who violate such bans against offensive speech be punished with jail time?,” 23% of likely voters said “yes.” On the other hand, 55% of likely voters responded “no.” Somewhat surprisingly, 21% of likely voters said they were “not sure” in response to this question.

Our survey, conducted December 6-7, found that support for free-speech bans was significantly higher among younger Americans. Among the respondents aged 18 to 39, 37% said they support a government ban on some speech, compared to just 22% for those aged 40 to 64 and 20% for those aged 65 or older.

Taken together, these results show that a strong majority of likely voters believe the United States should vehemently protect citizens’ right to the freedom of speech. The results also demonstrate that most likely voters are not in favor of free speech bans or harsh punishments for those who violate such bans.

The poll has a margin of sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

See the full results of the poll below, including some of the key data from the crosstabs.

See the poll results on the Great Reset, released Dec. 16, 2020, here.

The following quotes can be used for attribution. If you’d like to interview a Heartland Institute expert on this topic or other topics, please contact Justin at [email protected] or Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected], or call/text Jim’s cell at 312-731-9364.

“A free society cannot exist without free speech, and yet, one in four Americans now want government to limit the speech rights of their fellow citizens. Even more troubling, the numbers are higher among young people, with about 37 percent of those aged 18 to 39 years old supporting such bans.

“The growing movement to stifle free speech and expression should deeply concern everyone—Republicans and Democrats alike—because protecting the First Amendment is essential for preserving our nation. If this trend continues, it’s unlikely the United States will survive the next half-century.”

Justin Haskins
Editorial Director and Research Fellow, The Heartland Institute
Co-Lead, Stopping Socialism Project
[email protected]
312/377-4000

“Freedom of speech is one of the most important rights in the United States. Without it, our republic cannot survive. Fortunately, most likely voters recognize the fact that free speech must be protected against unwarranted bans and burdens.

“During the past few years, freedom of speech has been under attack, especially by social media sites, which have routinely implemented arbitrary bans on what they deem to be ‘offensive’ speech. Thankfully, a majority of likely voters oppose government adopting these Orwellian tactics to stifle free speech, although the large proportion of young people who support such bans is unquestionably a troubling development.”

Chris Talgo
Editor and Research Fellow
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377/4000

National Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters on Freedom of Speech
Conducted December 6-7, 2020
By The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports

1. Should federal or state governments ban speech by individuals that a majority of Americans believes to be offensive, including speech on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter?

26% Yes
56% No
18% Not sure

INTERESTING NOTE: 37% of young people (18-39 years old) said speech should be banned. Only 51% said no.

2. Should those who violate such bans against offensive speech be punished with jail time?

23% Yes
55% No
21% Not sure

INTERESTING NOTE: 37% of the government workers surveyed who said that speech should be banned by government also said that offensive speech should be punished with jail time—the highest of any demographic in our survey.

Likely Voters Hate Socialism

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL (December 18, 2020) – A new poll by The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports finds that a vast majority of likely voters prefer a free-market economic system over a socialist economic system.

When asked on December 6-7, “Which is better – a free-market economic system or socialism?,” 75% of respondents answered “free-market economic system,” while just 11% answered “socialism.”

Interestingly, most likely voters also have a decidedly negative view of one of America’s most prominent socialists, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). When asked, “Do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable impression of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?,” only 18% said “very favorable,” while 19% said “somewhat favorable.” On the other hand, 38% of likely voters said they have a “very unfavorable” impression of AOC, and 10% said they have a “somewhat unfavorable” impression of her. About 15% said they are not sure.

Taken together, these results show that a strong majority of likely voters believe the United States should reject socialism and instead adopt free-market economic principles.

Further, when asked, “Do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable impression of Joe Biden?,” 36% of likely voters said they have a “very unfavorable impression” of the president-elect. This was followed by 32% who said they have a “very favorable impression.” 19% said they have a “somewhat favorable impression” of Biden, while 11% responded that they have a “somewhat unfavorable impression” of the next president. Just 2% said they are “not sure.”

The poll has a margin of sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

See the full results of the poll below, including some of the key data from the crosstabs.

The following quote can be used for attribution:

“Despite the increased calls for socialism by many on the far left, the vast majority of likely voters believe that the United States should embrace a free-market economy. Only a sliver of likely voters think that the United States should abandon the free-market capitalistic policies that are responsible for making the United States the wealthiest nation in world history. Despite the countless calls for more socialism among elites in media and Hollywood, Americans aren’t interested in adopting the same socialist policies that have led to mass poverty wherever they have been tried.”

Chris Talgo
Editor and Research Fellow
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000

If you’d like to interview the head of Heartland’s Stopping Socialism Project, Justin Haskins, who also worked with Rasmussen on this poll, or another Heartland expert, please contact Justin at [email protected] or Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected], or you can call/text Jim’s cell at 312-731-9364.

National Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters on Socialism
Conducted December 6-7, 2020
By The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports

Which is better – a free-market economic system or socialism?

75% A free-market economic system
11% Socialism
14% Not sure

INTERESTING NOTE: About one in five respondents aged 18-39 chose socialism, nearly the same as when we asked young people this same question in 2019. Support for a “free market” increased, though. In 2019, support among young voters was 59%. This year, it is 68%.

Do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable impression of Joe Biden?

32% Very favorable
19% Somewhat favorable
11% Somewhat unfavorable
36% Very unfavorable
2% Not sure

Do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable impression of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?

18% Very favorable
19% Somewhat favorable
10% Somewhat unfavorable
38% Very unfavorable
15% Not sure

The Heartland Institute is a 36-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our website or call 312/377-4000.