ICYMI: Voters Want to Keep Politics Out of Government Contracting, Survey Finds

In case you missed it, a recent national survey by Centerline Liberties revealed a striking consensus among voters that state governments should keep politics out of government contracting decisions. This survey, conducted in September 2024 among 800 registered voters, showed overwhelming bipartisan agreement on this issue, emphasizing the importance of keeping the free market clear of interference from government and political ideologies.

Upon the poll’s release, AFFM Executive John Wittman said:

“This poll reinforces what we already know — when the government engages in social engineering, whether from the Left or Right, the market loses and businesses and taxpayers bear the burden and pay the price. It’s clear that voters support pro-free market principles and do not want politics interfering in state contracting decisions, which will lead to increased costs and reduced competition.”

The key findings from the poll show:

1. Voters want the government to keep politics out of contracting decisions.
   • 70% of voters say state officials should prioritize “quality, cost, and reputation” of companies over their political stances.This sentiment is consistent across party lines, with 74% of Republicans holding this view.

2. Support of this viewpoint remains high, even when “woke-ism” is introduced.
   • 63% of voters – and 52% of Republicans – agree that state governments shouldn’t choose business partners based on ideology and view it as government overreach. Only a third of voters believe “woke companies” should be banned from government contracts for promoting progressive ideologies, “even if it increases costs for taxpayers.”

3. A plurality of voters oppose bans on companies with ESG policies.
   • 44% of voters said states should not prohibit companies with ESG policies from doing business with the government, while 34% said they should and 22% were unsure. Based on these findings, the researchers noted, “It would appear that ESG is not a well-defined concept for a significant number of voters, and this uncertainty drives down support.”

4. Robust support exists across key demographic groups.
   • Nearly every demographic group surveyed showed net support for keeping politics out of government contracting decisions. Additionally, 70% of Republicans and 69% of Trump voters fundamentally believe government contracting decisions should be apolitical.

5. Swing voters distinctly favor apolitical contracting.
   • Among undecided voters in the 2024 presidential election, 87% believe government contracts should be awarded based on “quality, cost, and reputation” rather than political factors.
   • 85% of swing voters support the statement that contracting should not be influenced by ideology, and 41% oppose prohibiting companies with ESG policies from winning contracts.

6. Voters in states across the country want politics out of government contracting decisions.
   • State-level modeling estimates that, on average, 62% of voters in each state agree with the statement that government contracts should be based on “quality, cost, and reliability” rather than ideology. Key swing states, including Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina, showed particularly strong support for this position.

This survey demonstrates voters across the political spectrum agree state governments should prioritize quality, cost and reliability over political ideology when advancing policies that impact government contracting decisions. Maintaining a free market approach to contracting allows businesses to operate without fear of governmental micromanagement while promoting competition and innovation to better serve consumers and taxpayers.

To read the results of the survey from Centerline Liberties, click HERE.

###