A new national study from the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy has some compelling results for policymakers.
An in-depth survey was conducted where registered voters went through a process called a “policymaking simulation” in which they were effectively put in the shoes of a policymaker. They were given a briefing on the issue and evaluated accurate and balanced arguments before making their recommendation.
An overwhelming majority (83%) favored passing a constitutional amendment to establish term limits in Congress, with little difference between partisans: 86% of Republicans, 80% of Democrats and 84% of independents. Bipartisan support for this proposal has remained steady since their first survey in 2017.
While voters certainly have preferences for the number of terms, the exact number of term limits is not a breaking point for most voters. The 2017 survey asked respondents about a specific number of terms Representatives should be limited to that were put forward in actual legislation and found bipartisan majority support of at least seven-in-ten for all of them.
“Bipartisan majorities of Americans continue to favor proposals to limit the terms of Members of Congress,” commented Steven Kull, director of PPC.
This study was conducted independently of our national, non-profit organization. The noteworthy results warrant a close look by state lawmakers who are empowered with proposing and amendment to the Constitution of which a vast majority of their constituents approve.
Methodology
The survey was conducted online from February 1 – 14, 2023 with a national probability-based sample provided by Nielsen Scarborough from their sample of respondents, who were recruited by mail and telephone using a random sample of households. The sample included 2,700 respondents with a margin of error of +/- 1.9%
Full study results (PDF) are located here:
UMD School of Public Policy: Program for Policy Consultation or