What Do Americans Think About Federal Tax Options to Support Transportation? Results from Year Fourteen of a National Survey

Agrawal, Asha Weinstein; Nixon, Hilary; Azevedo, Adam · 2023 · ROSA P / San Jose State University. College of Business. Mineta Transportation Institute

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Summary

This report presents the findings from the fourteenth year of a national survey investigating American public opinion on federal transportation tax options. The study addresses the growing fiscal gap between shrinking inflation-adjusted transportation revenues and the increasing need for infrastructure maintenance, safety improvements, and climate-related upgrades. By measuring public support for various tax mechanisms, the research aims to inform legislators about the political feasibility of raising new transportation revenues. The methodology involved an online survey administered between February and March 2023 to a nationally representative sample of 2,531 U.S. adults, recruited via Qualtrics and weighted to match Census demographics. The questionnaire tested support for eleven hypothetical federal tax options: six variants of a 10-cent-per-gallon increase in the federal gas tax (with revenues dedicated to specific goals like maintenance, safety, or pollution reduction), two variants of a mileage fee replacing the gas tax (flat-rate vs. pollution-adjusted "green" rates), and three variants of a mileage fee applied only to commercial travel. The survey also collected data on travel behavior, vehicle characteristics, perceived infrastructure quality, and knowledge of current tax rates. Key findings indicate that while large majorities prioritize transportation improvements, public knowledge of current tax policy is low; only 2% of respondents knew the federal gas tax had not been raised in over 20 years. Support for a 10-cent gas tax increase reached 70% when revenues were earmarked for maintenance or safety. Regarding mileage fees, approximately half of respondents supported some form of mileage fee, whether applied to all travel or just commercial vehicles. Respondents favored equitable rate structures, with 62% supporting reduced rates for low-income drivers and 52% supporting lower rates for electric vehicles compared to gas and diesel vehicles. Trend analysis from 2010 to 2023 shows a slow but steady rise in support for both higher gas taxes and mileage fees, though the authors note that a shift from phone to online surveying in 2019 may influence these trends. The significance of these findings lies in their implications for transportation finance policy. The results suggest that public support for transportation taxes is contingent on transparency regarding revenue use and perceived fairness. The strong support for earmarked spending and equitable rate structures indicates that policymakers can potentially overcome political resistance by designing tax options that address equity concerns and clearly link revenue to specific, valued infrastructure outcomes. The steady increase in support over fourteen years suggests a gradual shift in public acceptance of user fees as a necessary mechanism for sustaining the transportation system.

Key finding

Seventy percent of respondents supported increasing the federal gas tax by 10 cents per gallon if the revenue was dedicated to maintenance or safety, and support for both gas tax increases and mileage fees has risen steadily since 2010.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 2531

Provenance

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• acceptance adoption