Minnesota Reformer: Free school meals overwhelmingly popular with voters, survey finds

By Christopher Ingraham

More than 70% of Minnesota voters — including majorities across every ideological and demographic category — say they approve of the Legislature’s decision last year to provide free school meals to all students, regardless of income.

Parents (85%), voters under age 34 (85%) and liberals (90%) were especially likely to support the policy. Conservatives (57%) and senior citizens (54%) were least likely to approve of the change.

The data come from the latest KSTP/SurveyUSA poll of Minnesota voters. The findings come on the heels of reports that the free school meals are proving more costly than lawmakers anticipated, due in large part to greater-than-expected demand for the program.

While Republican lawmakers have criticized the program as a giveaway to rich families, Gov. Tim Walz has remained a proud defender of it, telling MPR News in December that it’s “an investment I will defend all day.” Food shelf visits increased sharply in Minnesota over the past two years, but advocates are hopeful that increased school meal availability will put a dent in hunger going forward.

The KSTP survey also found wide margins of support for several other new policies passed last year, including legal marijuana (65%) and paid family leave funded by a new payroll tax (61%). 

But voters were also skeptical of taxes and spending. About 40% said the Legislature increased spending “too much” in 2023, compared to 11% who said it was “not enough” and 26% who characterized it as the “right amount.” That leaves 23% unsure and a potential target as both parties fight for control of the 134-member Minnesota House. 

More than 50% said increases in the gas tax and metro area sales tax were “too much,” compared to 31% saying it was either “not enough” or the “right amount.”

Some of the findings underscore how voters like receiving generous government services, but strongly dislike having to pay for those programs. That paradox is most on display in responses about the one-time tax rebates offered last year: 58% of respondents said the dollar amounts they received were “not enough,” compared to just 7% who said they were “too much.”

Republicans were especially likely to say both that the Legislature increased spending too much (62%), and that their Walz checks were too small (64%). While similar shares of Democrats and Independents said their rebates were too small, those groups were considerably less likely to say that the overall spending increase was too high.