Americans believe the kids will be all right

NewsWorks Tonight host Dave Heller sits down for his weekly conversation with Gallup’s Frank Newport to talk about trends in U.S. opinion.

President Donald Trump maintains high approval ratings among highly religious Protestants. Most of that support may be based on the fact that they are Republicans  — and many Republicans support Trump. But some question why his ratings are not lower among evangelicals, given Trump’s personal moral failings.

On Thursday, Trump visited Richfield, Ohio, to tout his $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan — although the federal government is poised to pay only a part of that. Clearly, the American public wants someone to pay for it, as fixing infrastructure is basically the one thing that most Americans agree should be the highest priority.

There has been much talk about the fact that the next generation of Americans may not be as well off as the current generation. But new Gallup polling shows that the majority of Americans believe today’s kids will in fact be better off — a much more optimistic view than just a few years ago.

New polling also shows that a strong majority of Americans want government to do more, not less, to protect the environment. Americans also say, given a choice, they favor protecting the environment even if it means curbing economic growth. Respondents support greater enforcement of emissions regulations; putting new regulations in place; and emphasizing development of alternative fuels such as solar and wind.

Conversely, few Americans back more federal spending to support the coal industry. All of those positions are opposite of the Trump administration’s emphasis.

Listen to the audio above to hear the full conversation.