Cutting down on fraud emerged as the leading strategy for making Minnesota more affordable, according to a new poll released by the American Experiment in June 2026. Forty-five percent of respondents identified reducing fraud as the top affordability priority they want candidates to address in 2026. The survey, conducted by Meeting Street Insights among 500 registered Minnesota voters who cast ballots in the November 2024 election, shows that concerns about government fraud remain prominent even when voters are asked specifically about cost-of-living issues.
The poll revealed widespread economic strain and strong support for limiting government growth. Sixty-three percent of Minnesotans reported their household income is falling behind the cost of living, three percentage points higher than results from a December 2025 survey. Only seven percent said their income is rising faster than expenses, while 28 percent reported staying roughly even. On taxes, 61 percent said income tax rates are too high, unchanged from 2023 polling. Sixty-six percent backed capping both state spending growth and annual property tax hikes at inflation plus population growth, and 63 percent supported eliminating unfunded mandates passed from state to local governments.
When asked about specific affordability solutions across different sectors, respondents showed clear preferences for market-oriented reforms over subsidies in most areas. For housing, 78 percent favored allowing homeowners to construct accessory dwelling units, 73 percent supported streamlining the permitting process, and 69 percent backed reducing government fees on new construction. In healthcare, 97 percent wanted more user-friendly price information, 92 percent supported joining interstate licensing agreements, 87 percent said Minnesota Medicaid recipients should be required to live in the state, and 80 percent favored scrapping costly insurance mandates. Childcare stood out as the exception: using taxpayer money to help lower-income families pay for childcare topped the list at 68 percent, while majorities opposed loosening regulations, easing hiring standards, or allowing higher child-to-staff ratios.
The poll demonstrates that affordability concerns dominate voter thinking ahead of the November 2026 elections, driven by persistent economic pessimism that's actually worsened since last year. The report explains that many state policies artificially limit the supply of goods and services, which drives up costs in sectors like housing, utilities, healthcare, and childcare. This dynamic shapes what the authors describe as Minnesota's misguided policymaking approach. "Minnesotans deserve real solutions to the very real problem of affordability," said John Phelan, American Experiment economist. "We need to lower taxes and stop pretending that throwing money at problems like childcare and housing shortages will actually solve anything."
The findings suggest that 2026 candidates will face pressure to tackle fraud and affordability through structural reforms rather than spending programs. With nearly two-thirds of voters saying they're losing ground financially, and fraud outpacing traditional affordability issues like healthcare costs and property taxes as the top concern, the political landscape appears to favor candidates who promise fiscal restraint and fraud crackdowns. The message from Minnesota voters is clear: fix the systems that drive costs up, don't just subsidize the problem.