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ASSOCIATION OF EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS (AEM)

Summary

In June 2016, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers commissioned Morning Consult to conduct an online national poll of nearly 2,000 registered voters to gauge perceptions and attitudes about current and future U.S. infrastructure.

The poll found that a majority of Americans recognize the declining state of the nation’s infrastructure as an issue that should be addressed, and nearly half (46 percent) of respondents said that U.S. infrastructure has gotten worse in the last five years. Roads and bridges top the list of sectors of the nation’s infrastructure in extreme need of repair, but registered voters also believe that repairs should be made to railways, dams and water pipelines.

When it comes to funding, half (49 percent) of the surveyed population believes that the federal government is primarily responsible for funding repairs to the nation’s infrastructure, but they also believe that state (76 percent), local (70 percent) and federal (72 percent) government should be doing more to improve infrastructure across the board.

There are notable differences across political affiliation, but when it comes to the quality of roads, bridges and energy grids (the three sectors of infrastructure that first come to mind among registered voters), there is general agreement among Democrats, Independents and Republicans about the quality of each of them.

The national poll shows broad bipartisan support for infrastructure prioritization and investment. Both presidential nominees have spoken about the importance of investing in the future of U.S. infrastructure. As they begin to offer further details about their plans for that investment, the findings of the poll provide insight into what voters think specifically should be a part of that future. Regardless of political affiliation, water infrastructure, solar powered homes, smart infrastructure, and high-speed trains are seen as most important to the future of U.S. infrastructure by individuals surveyed, whereas self-driving cars and drones delivering packages are lower on the list of priorities.

Key Findings

• Nearly half (46 percent) of registered voters believe that the state of the nation’s infrastructure has gotten worse in the last five years.
• A significant majority (80 – 90 percent) of registered voters say that roads, bridges and energy grids are in some or extreme need of repairs.
• Half (49 percent) of the surveyed population feel that the federal government is primarily responsible for funding repairs to the nation’s infrastructure.
• Seven out of every 10 registered voters say increasing federal funding for infrastructure will have a positive impact on the economy.
• More than eight out of every ten Americans consider water infrastructure (86 percent), solar powered homes (83 percent) and smart infrastructure (82 percent) as the top three important innovations for the future of infrastructure.

Download full version (PDF): Analysis of National Infrastructure Poll

About the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)
www.aem.org
AEM is the North American-based international trade group providing innovative business development resources to advance the off-road equipment manufacturing industry in the global marketplace. AEM membership comprises more than 850 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture, construction, forestry, mining and utility sectors worldwide. AEM is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with offices in the world capitals of Washington, D.C.; Ottawa, Canada; and Beijing, China.

Tags: AEM, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Election 2016, Infrastructure, Poll

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 11th, 2016 at 12:30 pm and is filed under Aging Infrastructure, Infra Views, National, Policy . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.