Most oppose gas tax hike to fund road repairs, Gallup poll finds

Most oppose gas tax hike to fund road repairs, Gallup poll finds

Two-thirds of Americans would vote against a gas tax increase to pay for improving roads and bridges and building more mass transit. That was the result of a Gallup poll this month asking about a gas tax hike of up to 20 cents a gallon. The poll was conducted about two weeks after Maryland approved its first gas tax increase in 20 years. At least 17 states have recently approved or are considering gas tax increases to pay for infrastructure and mass transit, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Virginia, on the other hand, just passed a transportation funding package that did not include gas tax increases.

Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to support a gas tax hike. Lower and upper-income Americans are somewhat more likely to support it than middle-income earners. Westerners are most likely to support an increase, followed by Easterners. Residents of the South and Midwest are less likely to support a hike.