New Poll: Voters Concerned About Increased Spending, Lack of Leadership

69% of voters believe Gov. Josh Shapiro needs to take a more active role in budget negotiations.

Harrisburg, Pa., June 25, 2025 — As the June 30th deadline looms, voters made their stance on negotiations clear — Gov. Josh Shapiro must play a more active role at the negotiating table, with a focus on achieving bipartisan compromise and fiscal responsibility. 

Today, the Commonwealth Foundation released new polling assessing voter sentiment around the Pennsylvania state budget battle and key policy proposals being debated in Harrisburg. 

The new poll reveals voters’ concern with proposals that would increase spending and taxes, while registering strong demand for expanded educational choice. 

Key Insights: 

• Concerns About Shapiro’s Proposed Spending: 57% oppose Governor Shapiro’s $51.5 billion budget proposal, resulting in a $4.8 billion deficit which will cost Pennsylvania families nearly $2,000 for a family of four.  
• Strong Bipartisan Support for School Choice: An overwhelming majority of voters support expanding access to educational opportunities, including education opportunity accounts and refundable tax credit scholarships.  
  • Refundable Tax Credit Scholarships: 73% support providing a refundable tax credit that gives money to families to spend on the direct needs of their child, including private tuition, online education programs, tutoring, curriculum, and therapies. 
  • Education Opportunity Accounts: 72% support the creation of education opportunity accounts, a government-funded account that parents can use for restricted educational expenses. Support is highest among Democrats (73%), Independents (75%), Latino (83%) and Black (86%) voters.  
• Opposition to Cyber Charter Cuts: A majority of voters (55%) oppose cutting state funding for cyber charters by 50 percent per student, as proposed in HB 1500, a key budget priority for Shapiro and House Democrats. 
• Excess District Reserve Funds: 82% believe school districts must use their excess reserves (totaling $7.4 billion in 2024) before raising local taxes. 
• Opposition to PACER/PRESS: 62% oppose Shapiro’s climate change proposals – PACER and PRESS, key priorities in the Governor’s budget plan – which will cost households an estimated $1,724 a year in additional energy costs. 

Additional Findings: 

• Looking for Shapiro to Lead: 69% believe Shapiro needs to take a more active role in negotiating a bipartisan budget deal as the June 30th deadline ticks closer.
• Skepticism Over Shapiro’s Record of Accomplishment: A majority of Pennsylvania voters are unsure (16%) or do not believe (40%) that Governor Shapiro has delivered a major accomplishment during his term in office. Among voters who believe Shapiro has delivered a major accomplishment (43%), nearly one-third responded “Don’t Know/Unsure” when asked to name one.  

Nathan Benefield, Chief Policy Officer for the Commonwealth Foundation, issued the following statement:  

“Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal is a partisan pipedream, chock-full of irresponsible spending increases and unrealistic revenue assumptions. Despite knowing from the outset that it was dead on arrival in the legislature, for nearly five months Shapiro has remained stubbornly entrenched behind his plan, holding political photo-ops instead of negotiating a good faith deal between House and Senate leaders.  

“With a budget deadline fast approaching and no deal in sight, it’s clear that Shapiro’s lack of leadership is veering Pennsylvania toward another protracted budget impasse.  

“Overwhelming opposition from voters to Shapiro’s plan is a clear sign that Pennsylvanians expect him to abandon his pursuit of massive spending and tax increases and find a middle ground with Senate Republicans on a budget that reflects fiscal responsibility and bipartisan compromise.” 

Erik Telford, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for the Commonwealth Foundation, added:

“While Pennsylvanians have clear concerns about Shapiro’s pursuit of spending increases and new energy taxes, support for expanded educational choice remains overwhelming popular across party lines. Shapiro could score an easy lay-up by forging a compromise that includes his own campaign pledge to enact Lifeline/PASS Scholarships for students assigned to underperforming schools. 

“Amid skepticism around his record of accomplishment, voters are looking for Shapiro to get off the sidelines and broker a bipartisan budget deal.”  

The poll surveyed 713 registered Pennsylvania voters from June 16 through June 21, 2025. 

Read the complete poll findings and crosstabs here. 

Additional Resources:

• Commonwealth Foundation’s recent analysis found that Shapiro’s record of legislative accomplishments has been the least productive of any Pennsylvania Governor in the last 50 years.  

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