The Bottom Line

Over the course of ten polls conducted between February 2025 and February 2026, Protecting American Consumers Together (PACT) has assembled one of the most comprehensive and consistent bodies of public opinion research on lawsuit reform and cost of living in recent memory. The data spans numerous unique electoral landscapes including national polls, swing Senate states, Georgia, Texas, California, and competitive New York congressional districts. Voters are clearly united on two messages – the cost of living is too high and lawsuit abuse is making it worse. Across every state, every demographic, and every party, voters want action, they trust lawmakers who champion reform, and they will vote out those who don’t.

The Cost Of Living Crisis Is Real And Widespread

Voters are feeling the squeeze. Across all ten surveys, overwhelming majorities report that their cost of living has increased over the past year:

• 90% of California voters, 86% of Georgia voters, 82% of battleground state voters, and 80% of Texas voters all say costs have gone up — with majorities in each state saying they have gone up significantly. Nationally, 76% of likely voters reported rising costs as recently as November 2025.
• In New York’s competitive congressional districts (NY-04, NY-17, and NY-18), 78% of voters say their overall cost of living has gone up over the past year — including 81% in NY-18.
• Auto insurance premiums are a particular flashpoint, with increases reported by 76% of California voters, 67% of Georgia voters, 67% of Texas voters, 61% of voters nationally, and 69% of New York voters across the three districts surveyed.
• Elected officials are receiving failing grades for their response. 70% of Texas voters rate their officials “Fair” or “Poor” on holding down costs. In California, 93% give the state legislature a “Poor” or “Only Fair” rating. In battleground Senate states, 58% say their Senator is doing a “poor” job and 71% say their Senator has no plan to address the crisis. In New York, the numbers are equally stark: 83% of voters across the three districts rate the New York state legislature “Not So Good” or “Poor” on holding down the cost of living — reaching 87% in NY-18.
• The issue environment reinforces the urgency. Cost of living is the dominant legislative priority in New York, named by 45% of voters as the single most important issue for Albany to address — far outpacing taxes (14%), immigration (12%), healthcare (11%), and crime (10%). When first and second choices are combined, 66% of New York voters list cost of living as a top concern.

The environment is ripe for leadership willing to take on this issue directly.

Voters Connect Lawsuit Abuse To Rising Costs

Voters do not just feel the pain — they understand the cause. Majorities in every state and nationally link lawsuit abuse directly to higher prices:

• 81% of national voters (November 2025), 72% of Georgia voters, 72% of California voters, 71% of Texas voters, and 61% of battleground state voters all agree that lawsuit abuse drives up the cost of goods and services for their families.
• In New York, 76% of voters across the three districts agree that lawsuit abuse drives up the cost of goods and services for New York families — including 79% in NY-04 and 77% in NY-17.
• Critically, this is not a partisan finding. In every survey tested, agreement cuts across party lines — with Democrats ranging from 60–65% in agreement, Independents from 64–74%, and Republicans from 82–88%. The breadth of this consensus is one of the most consistent findings across the entire ten-poll portfolio.

Voters Understand Lawsuit Abuse Is A “Hidden Tax” 

When voters learn the specific dollar cost that lawsuit abuse places on their household each year, support for reform surges. This dynamic has proven consistent across every geography tested:

• The average American family pays an extra $4,200 per year nationally, $4,600 in Texas, and $5,500 in California as a result of lawsuit abuse.
• New York voters are paying a particularly steep price: New Yorkers pay roughly $4,000 a year for car insurance — $1,500 more than the national average. This fact bothers 84% of New York voters across the three districts “a lot.” Additionally, scams alone add as much as $300 to the average New York driver’s annual insurance bill — a fact that bothers 78% of voters “a lot.” According to the Wall Street Journal, fake medical clinics in New York are filing excessive medical claims and splitting big lawsuit payouts with lawyers, which was found to be a concern of 83% of New York voters. 
• New York also has nearly 2,000 fake, staged car crashes per year, the second-highest rate in the nation: a fact that concerned 80% of voters. 
• Once voters hear the full picture, support for reform jumps dramatically in every state tested. In Georgia, baseline support of 39% surges to 76% after learning about the tort tax. Nationally, support reaches 76% once the hidden tax is introduced. 74% of national voters say it is important for the Trump Administration and Congress to eliminate the $4,200 hidden tax nationally, including 66% of Democrats, 71% of Independents, and 85% of Republicans.

The hidden tax is the single most effective tool in the reform argument, and voters everywhere understand its impact.

Reform Enjoys Broad, Bipartisan Support

Support for lawsuit reform is not a one-party issue. Across all ten polls, majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans support reform. For example, in Georgia every single single demographic group supported reform.

Specific reform proposals generate particularly strong support at the national level:

• Attorney fee transparency: 83–93% support across surveys
• Reforms to reduce auto insurance rates: 77–85% support
• Capping attorney fees at 20%: 67–83% support
• Medical bill transparency: 77–87% support
• Loser pays laws: 63–68% support
• Fines or disbarment for frivolous lawsuits: 78% support nationally
• DOJ taskforce on staged accident fraud: 72% support nationally

The New York data adds further weight to this picture. Baseline support for legislation to reform the cost of lawsuits, settlements, and related legal fees to reduce auto insurance costs stands at 74% across the three districts: with NY-04 at 79%. After learning about a comprehensive proposal to crack down on insurance fraud and staged accidents, support rises to 87% and, after reading specific facts about fraud and abuse in New York, support rose to 88% across the three districts.

Even Those Who Have Used A Personal Injury Lawyer Want Reform

One of the most striking and consistent findings across PACT’s polling is that support for reform extends even to those with firsthand experience using personal injury lawyers, undercutting the primary argument made by reform opponents.

• In Georgia, support among PI lawyer users rose from 36% to 63% after learning about reform, and 87% say it was important for the legislature to stop lawsuit abuse.
• In battleground states, 65% of PI lawyer users support reform, and 84% say it is important for their Senators to act.
• In California, 62% of PI lawyer users support reform, and 71% believe victims will still get fair outcomes even if lawyers are regulated, including 74% of registered Democrats and 75% of self-described liberals.
• In New York, 22% of voters across the three districts report having used a personal injury lawyer. Of those who had a negative experience, the top complaints were lack of effort (33%), poor case outcome (24%), and attorneys being “out for themselves” (21%).

A separate national survey of 400 car crash victims who hired a PI attorney (November 2025) provides important context for why reform resonates even among those with direct experience. 92% were contacted by an attorney after their accident — 38% within 24 hours. 46% were promised free services that turned out not to be free. 75% were referred to specific doctors by their attorney. 32% felt pressured to continue treatment longer than necessary. And 41% say the process felt designed to benefit the attorney, not them. These firsthand accounts make clear that the case for reform is not an abstract policy argument — it is grounded in the lived experience of ordinary people who have navigated this system.

Billboard And Ambulance Lawyers Are Deeply Unpopular

Voters have a strongly negative view of the personal injury legal industry at the center of this debate, and that negativity is consistent across geographies:

• Nationally (November 2025), ambulance lawyers carry a -23% net favorability rating; billboard attorneys are at -15%.
• In New York, billboard lawyers have just 8% total favorable ratings across the three districts, versus 44% unfavorable — a net of -36%. 

The Political Stakes Are Clear

Voters are not just supportive of reform in the abstract — they are ready to hold lawmakers accountable, and the data from all ten polls reinforces this consistently:

• 92% of battleground state voters say their Senators should vote to stop lawsuit abuse over protecting personal injury lawyers.
• 61% of national voters say they would be less likely to reelect a member of Congress who voted to protect ambulance lawyers over cracking down on lawsuit abuse and fraud.
• 86% of both Georgia and California voters say their state legislator should side with working families over PI lawyers.
• In Texas, 61% of Republicans say they would be less likely to support a state legislator who sided with ambulance lawyers.
• In New York, 81% of voters across the three districts say they would be more likely to support a legislator who voted for lawsuit reforms and consumer protections to lower auto insurance rates, including 84% in NY-04 and 80% in NY-17

Conclusion

Ten polls. Seven geographies. One consistent story.

From Georgia to California, from battleground Senate states to Texas, and in competitive New York congressional districts, the data assembled by PACT over the past year is unambiguous: voters across the political spectrum understand that lawsuit abuse is driving up their cost of living, they support meaningful reform, and they are prepared to support legislators who act. Championing lawsuit reform is a winning issue across the political spectrum as voters are fed up with rising costs and a legal system that too often benefits ambulance lawyers at the expense of ordinary families.