The majority of Coloradans oppose the proposed cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP outlined in the congressional budget — including the constituents in a swing district currently represented by a congressman who voted in favor of the legislation.

Healthier Colorado, a statewide organization focused on health care policy, surveyed 675 registered voters across the state on a range of issues, from opinions on elected officials to vaccines to proposed federal funding cuts.

In its survey, the organization intentionally oversampled residents of the 8th Congressional District, which extends from Thornton past Greeley. The district, which is currently represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, runs heavily purple and is about 40% Latino.

Evans, a former state lawmaker, voted in favor of the budget both in committee and on the U.S. House floor. The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” as Trump calls it, proposes an over $600 billion reduction in Medicaid spending over the next decade. About one-third of CD8 residents are covered by Medicaid, according to the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF).

“Coloradans are clear — statewide and in the key swing district represented by Gabe Evans — that they view these programs as important in their communities and overwhelmingly oppose decreasing their funding,” said Healthier Colorado CEO Jake Williams. “We hope our elected officials in Washington will listen to their constituents and pursue spending solutions that protect programs like Medicaid and SNAP that enable Coloradans to achieve health and well-being across the lifespan.”

Here are a few key takeaways from the survey, which was conducted between May 29 and June 4:

State and national leaders’ approval ratings take a hit

Gov. Jared Polis’ statewide approval rating dropped from over 50% in Healthier Colorado’s 2024 survey to 47% this year. Another 47% of respondents said they had an “unfavorable” view of Polis, while 6% said they either had no opinion or hadn’t heard of him.

In CD8, Polis’s approval rating was even lower at 41%.

Survey respondents were also asked about the two members of Congress who represent CD8: Evans and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat. Statewide, 41% of respondents said they hadn’t heard of Evans. In CD8, his approval rating was 40%, with an additional 42% saying they had an unfavorable opinion of him.

Bennet’s name was more widely recognized statewide, with 39% saying they approved of him and 33% saying they did not. In CD8, Bennet, who is running for governor, received a 29% approval rating, with 39% of respondents in his district saying they disapproved of him.

Donald Trump’s statewide approval rating was 37%, while Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s was 40%. Trump’s statewide approval rating dropped 6 percentage points from 2024, while Kennedy’s dropped three points. 

Both Trump and Kennedy fared better in CD8, but still received an “unfavorable” rating from over half of respondents.

Varied opinions on Medicaid

Coloradans were almost evenly divided in their opinions on health care affordability: 49% of statewide respondents said they believe the cost of health care for their family is affordable, while 48% said it is unaffordable. 

However, in CD8, 57% of respondents said they had a hard time affording health care, while 39% said they found health care to be affordable. 

The majority of respondents both statewide and in CD8 offered positive opinions of Medicaid. When asked why they support the program, many respondents said they had direct experiences of how Medicaid has helped themselves, family members or friends, and others said they believe in helping vulnerable populations and that health care is a “human right.” 

Among the reasons Coloradans gave for not having favorable views of Medicaid are beliefs that there is abuse and fraud in the system, opposition to benefits being provided to non-citizens, and issues with the quality and complexity of the program. 

Over 70% of statewide respondents said they would support Congress raising taxes on individuals making over $2.5 million a year to help fund Medicaid. That support was slightly lower in CD8, but still over 50%. 

The majority of respondents, 65% statewide and 63% in CD8, said they would not vote for a candidate who voted to cut Medicaid funding. 

Majority of Coloradans support SNAP, oppose cuts 

Over 80% of respondents both statewide and in CD8 said they support the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

Overall, most respondents support increasing spending for SNAP, but a quarter of CD8 constituents advocated for decreasing spending, compared to 19% statewide.   

Over three-quarters of respondents statewide said they believed vaccines are effective, while 72% believe they’re safe. In CD8, 65% of respondents said they believe vaccines are safe and 69% believe they are effective. 

Among the individuals who said they are not confident in the safety or efficacy of vaccines, most cited concerns with the COVID-19 vaccine, distrust in the pharmaceutical industry or government agencies, and opposition to vaccine mandates. 

While opinions on vaccines were largely divided along party lines, respondents across all political affiliations, age groups, and income levels overwhelmingly agree that social media is harming kids’ mental health.

Statewide, 90% said Colorado is facing a growing youth mental health crisis — a two-point increase from 2023.

The same percentage of respondents said they believe social media is having a “total negative impact” on kids’ mental health, as opposed to a negative or neutral impact. 

Respondents were also asked whether they support for 2024’s House Bill 1136, which in part requires social media platforms to display a notification to minor users every half-hour between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. if the user has been on the platform for more than an hour in a 24-hour period. 

Sixty-nine percent of respondents statewide said they support the bill, which was signed into law and takes effect next year. Sixty-five percent of CD 8 respondents said they back the legislation.