As part of the national People’s Promise campaign, Common Cause Pennsylvania conducted a survey this summer of our membership to help understand the top issues of concern for Pennsylvanians. The Trump administration’s unprecedented assault on congressionally authorized programs and its lawless attacks on institutions, from our elections, to universities, to immigrant communities, demands a response.  

Our survey included an extensive, but not exhaustive, list of eleven different policy areas that are being impacted by this administration’s actions. We asked survey participants to choose the top three issues that were most important to them. Over 1200 of our members responded and told us that the following issues were their priorities, by a large margin: 

• Voting & Fair Elections (Executive Orders undermining election administration, laws that would disenfranchise voters, etc.)  

• Cuts to the Social Safety Net (Medicaid, Affordable Care Act, SNAP-food stamps, etc.) 

• Dismantling Government Services and Workforce (Cuts to departments, civil servants, safety monitoring, etc.) 

In a statistical tie, 53% of respondents placed both “Voting & Fair Elections” and “Cuts to the Social Safety Net” in their top three issues of concern. Coming in third was “Dismantling Government Services and Workforce”, selected by 48% of respondents.  These results were by far the three predominant areas of concern, but all eleven areas scored in double digits, including the economy, cuts to public media, destruction of natural resources, and public health;, all of which scored over 11%.  

In addition to the survey data, we wanted to hear directly from our members. The survey included an open response section for our members to share how these issues were impacting them. The responses detailed example after example of how this administration’s actions and contempt for the rule of law are harming Pennsylvanians, threatening our healthcare and our jobs, and spreading fear and uncertainty across our communities. 

Respondents shared many stories across every single area of concern: 

• Many respondents had personal worries about the social safety net and benefit policies, including Medicaid, social security, and insurance coverage. Access to services, specific medications and financial limitations stood out.  For many, any policy changes will have direct consequences on necessary healthcare.  

• A cancer survivor lamented the cuts for cancer research that have already gone through and the reality of relying on Medicaid and food stamps as someone not able to work due to health conditions. “With the cost of living going up with tariffs we need real solutions.” 

• Recently diagnosed with lung cancer, an early retiree who gets health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s state marketplace says, “I am bracing myself. And very worried” about the possibility of losing federal tax credits that reduce insurance costs.
   

• Fear and apprehension were common feelings across different areas. Respondents were afraid for friends and family related to the administration’s increased detention and deportation activity, frequently in violation of due process rights. Respondents shared their deep concerns about increases in transphobia and hateful rhetoric directed at the LGBTQ+ community. Economic uncertainty and uneasiness about job security, in both the private and public sectors, was a theme as well.  

• On the increase in ICE raids across the country one respondent shares, “As a brown citizen, I now feel the need to bring ID when I go to the park in case someone decides I look like an immigrant and throws me into a van.” 

• There were respondents who talked about personally losing jobs or family members losing jobs. Even employment didn’t quash economic fears about future. “My grown children work so hard and don’t get ahead.” 

• On cuts to the federal workforce, “To think that government can be run efficiently with skeleton staffs is insane. To eliminate regulatory agencies is even more insane.” 

These survey results and stories say a lot about what Pennsylvanians are feeling right now. Common Cause Pennsylvania would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to our survey. Our collective voices and our stories are essential to fighting back against the administration’s lawless assault on programs and institutions authorized by Congress.