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Public opinion on controversial right wing policy proposal Project 2025 is turning more negative, according to a latest poll.
A recent Navigator Research poll of 1000 registered voters conducted from July 11 to July 14 revealed a significant rise in both awareness of and opposition to the plan.
The survey’s results showed that 54 percent of respondents said they are now familiar with Project 2025, a substantial increase of 25 points since late June. Among those aware of the project, only 11 percent said they view it favorably, while 43 percent hold an unfavorable opinion, marking a 24-point surge in negativity toward the proposal.
Project 2025 is a 900-page document detailing proposed policies for a future Republican administration, developed by right-wing think tank the Heritage Foundation.
The plan proposes to remove civil service employment protections for thousands of federal employees to make them easier to fire and replace with Republican loyalists.
It also proposes to implement sweeping changes to the federal government, including eliminating the Department of Education, reducing the scope of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, rolling back renewable-energy programs to create a regulatory environment that favors the fossil fuel industry, limiting mail-order abortion pills and removing diversity, equity and inclusion hiring policies from federal programs.
The survey indicates that more than seven in ten Democrats say they are aware of Project 2025, with 64 percent of those respondents expressing strong disapproval to the plan. Independents are less familiar with the proposal, with nearly two-thirds saying that they are unable to form an opinion. Those independents that said they were aware of Project 2025 leaned negative in the their views of the plan (net -20; 8 percent favorable vs. 28 percent unfavorable).
Polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight ranks Navigator Research 214th out of 277 pollsters for, giving it a score of just 1.3 out of three stars for its historical track record and methodology.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, recently distanced himself from Project 2025, labeling it as “radical” and “seriously extreme” during a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
His comments came after strong efforts from Democrats to tie Trump to the project. One spokesperson for the party said it and Trump “are one big MAGA operation.”
Despite Trump’s attempt to downplay his association with the project, its perception as part of his agenda persists among a significant portion of the electorate, according to the poll.
Forty-five percent of Americans believe Project 2025 accurately represents Trump’s principles, though among independents, 64 percent said they remain unsure about the alignment between Trump and the project.
One possible contributing factor to respondents tying Trump to the project could be the high number of MAGA-following figures who contributed to the construct of the proposal.
A total of 31 of its contributors served in Trump’s presidential administration at various levels, including figures like Peter Navarro and Ben Carson.
Various critics have described Project 2025 as “a significant move to an authoritarian government” and likely to “destroy American democracy.”
Newsweek has contacted Heritage Foundation for comment.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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