DENVER, CO – Today, Healthier Colorado released the results of a voter opinion survey on proposed federal Medicaid cuts and other public health issues facing Coloradans. Magellan Strategies conducted the survey among statewide voters as well as voters in Congressional District 8 from May 29 to June 4, 2025. The survey was designed to capture information on how Coloradans feel about public health issues such as proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, vaccine safety, the mental health impacts of social media, and childcare affordability, along with the approval ratings of several public officials.

As the Senate debates a federal spending bill that includes large cuts to Medicaid, only 21% of statewide voters and 28% of CD-08 voters want to see Congress decrease spending on the program. 65% of statewide voters and 63% of CD-08 voters said they were less likely to vote for a candidate who voted to cut Medicaid.

Only 19% of statewide voters and 25% of CD-08 voters want Congress to decrease spending on SNAP, another program facing significant cuts in the proposed federal budget. When it comes to Head Start, only 13% of statewide voters and 15% of CD-08 voters want Congress to decrease spending on the program.

“Right now, Congress is debating a bill that would make devastating cuts to critical programs like Medicaid and SNAP. 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 Jake Williams, CEO of Healthier Colorado. “Alternatively, President Trump’s proposal to raise taxes on individuals making over $2.5 million a year to help fund Medicaid is broadly popular among Coloradans. 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.”

The survey also asked about several other public health issues facing Coloradans, with strong bipartisan consensus in many areas:

• 72% of statewide voters believe vaccines are safe and 76% believe they are effective.
• 90% of statewide voters believe there is a growing mental health crisis facing children and youth in Colorado.
  • The percentage of voters who strongly agree has increased from 50% to 62% since December 2023.
• 90% of statewide voters believe social media has had a negative impact on the mental health of youth in Colorado.
  • The percentage of voters who believe the impact has been very negative has increased from 49% to 58% since December 2023.
• Only 5% of statewide voters said the cost of childcare is affordable in their area.

According to the poll, a majority of Colorado voters – statewide and in CD-08 – have an unfavorable opinion of President Donald Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Elon Musk. Favorability has decreased for all three public officials since Healthier Colorado’s December 2024 poll. Governor Jared Polis has a 47% favorable rating and 47% unfavorable rating. Within CD-08, 42% of voters have an unfavorable opinion of Representative Gabe Evans while 40% have a favorable opinion of him.

Healthier Colorado hosted a briefing this morning with the Magellan Strategies survey research team to review the results of the survey. The slides from the presentation can be found here, and the full results and crosstabs of the survey are available here.