Defend Forgotten America today released findings from a new Indiana statewide poll conducted by the widely respected pollster Public Opinion Strategies. Defend Forgotten America commissioned the poll to better understand how voters in the Heartland view healthcare and cost of living issues. The survey highlights broad frustration among Hoosiers about the direction of the state, strong support for state government doing more to protect to protect hospitals across the state, and widespread and fierce opposition to Indiana’s proposed plan to cut over $1 billion from Medicaid – including majorities of Republicans.
“At a time when some Indiana lawmakers are being praised in the national media for voting with Democrats to reject redistricting efforts, they are ignoring the real concerns of Hoosiers about kitchen table issues. Republicans can’t afford to do the same,” said Jenn Pellegrino, founder of Defend Forgotten America. “This poll should be a wake-up call for state leaders, as well as officials across the country. They must take action to address the growing healthcare crisis —not enact devastating cuts that could leave vulnerable residents without critical care.”
Key findings from the poll include:
- Direction of State: A majority (52%) of Hoosiers believe things in Indiana have gotten off on the wrong track, compared to 36% who believe things in the state are going in the right direction.
- Governor Braun Approval Rating: A plurality of Hoosiers (43%) disapprove of the job Governor Mike Braun (R-IN) is doing, compared to 36% who approve of the Governor’s job performance. Among independents, the Governor’s approval is 21%-38%.
- Top Concerns Over Medicaid Cuts’ Impact:
- Hoosiers expressed significant alarm about the potential consequences of the proposed $1 billion Medicaid reductions. The leading worries are:
- Rural Hoosiers losing access to healthcare: 44% very concerned, 86% total concerned.
- Local hospitals eliminating critical services: 41% very concerned, 89% total concerned.
- Overcrowding of emergency rooms: 40% very concerned, 90% total concerned.
- Rural women losing access to OBGYN services: 40% very concerned, 87% total concerned.
- Broad Support for Protecting Hospitals:
- Nearly three-quarters of voters (73%) agree that “The Indiana state government should do more to protect hospitals in our local communities,” with 45% strongly agreeing. This sentiment crosses party lines, with more than two-thirds of both Republicans and Democrats in agreement.
- Strong Opposition to Medicaid Cuts:
- A resounding 71% of Hoosiers oppose the plan to cut over $1 billion from Indiana’s Medicaid program, including 57% who strongly oppose the plan. Majorities of Republicans, Independents, and Democrats reject the proposal. Among rural Hoosiers, opposition stands at 64%. Nearly half of Hoosiers have heard about the plan. Notably, awareness intensifies resistance: Among the 26% of voters who have heard “a lot” about the plan, 85% oppose it, including 79% who strongly oppose.
- Priority on Public Health Funding: In line with voters’ emphasis on health priorities, a majority (53%) believe government funding for public health should be increased, compared to just 19% who think it should be decreased and 24% who say it should stay the same.
- K–12 Education: Only one in four voters (25%) rate the overall quality of Indiana’s public schools as excellent or good, while 42% describe the system as average and a combined 27% rate it as poor. When asked to identify the single most important priority for Indiana’s public schools, residents are most focused on strengthening college and career readiness (24%) and improving teacher pay and retention (22%). Early literacy also emerges as a key concern, selected by 17% as the top priority. Other issues, such as mental health services (11%), school safety (11%), and expanding Pre-K (7%), register notably lower as priorities.
- Infrastructure: More than one in three Hoosiers (35%) say deteriorating local roads are the biggest problem where they live, far outpacing concerns about road construction delays (21%) or highway congestion (16%).
Read a full memo on the poll here.
Public Opinion Strategies conducted an Indiana statewide survey of 500 registered voters, completed via live telephone interviews (both landlines and cell phones). The survey was conducted December 4-7, 2025, and has a margin of error of ±4.38%.
