FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
March 10, 2023
Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org
New Poll: Michigan Voters Want Gun Violence Prevention Laws, Corporate Accountability
Research newsletter digs into Michiganders’ view on main policy priorities
MICHIGAN – On Friday, Progress Michigan released the latest edition of Lake Effect, a monthly polling newsletter that tracks Michigan voters’ opinions about a variety of issues and political figures.
“Over the past few weeks, I’ve dealt with multiple power outages thanks to DTE Energy’s failure to use their record profits to update their grid, and I’m far from alone in that,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “The polling reflects that—Michigan voters are sick of big utilities repeatedly increasing rates and raking in record profits while failing to provide reliable power for the people they’re supposed to serve. And that desire for corporate accountability isn’t limited to DTE and Consumers Energy, as a majority of voters don’t think corporations are currently paying their fair share in taxes. As gun violence prevention bills continue to move in the legislature, support among voters—including both Republican voters and gun owners—is holding steady. While these major Democratic priorities draw strong support, voters are equally displeased with Michigan Republicans’ current efforts to ban books and censor honest education.”
Results of the poll are available here. Some key takeaways include:
- 77 percent of those polled support universal background checks for firearm purposes. 66 percent support ERPO, and 62 percent support safe storage laws.
- 49 percent of respondents believe laws like ERPO, universal background checks, and safe storage will reduce gun violence, while 36 percent think they won’t make a difference and 6 percent believe they’ll increase gun violence.
- 62 percent of those polled believe Consumers Energy and DTE Energy should be forced to reimburse ratepayers for power outages, including lost food and medicine, while just 23 percent disagree.
- 84 percent of respondents believe DTE and Consumers should be forced to invest more of their profits into updating and maintaining their energy grid. Only 8 percent oppose the idea.
- 67 percent of those polled do not believe corporations are currently paying their fair share in taxes, and 84 percent believe it’s important to make sure they pay their fair share.
- 60 percent of respondents oppose efforts to ban certain books from schools and public libraries, compared to just 28 percent who support these bans.
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