75% of Americans Support Raising the Federal Gas Tax Rate to Pay for Maintenance

The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) has released the results from its 16th annual survey in a series that explores public support for raising transportation revenue through higher federal gas taxes or a new mileage fee. Overall, the findings show that Americans are willing to pay for transportation when the purpose is clear, specific, and aligned with their values—especially safety and maintenance.

“An astounding 75% of Americans told us they would support paying an extra 10 cents per gallon in federal gas taxes if the revenue raised were dedicated to maintaining the transportation system,” explains study co-author Asha Weinstein Agrawal, PhD. “And almost as many – 72% – would support that same increase if the revenue were dedicated to improving safety.” She went on to explain that committing the new revenue to specific purposes the public values is key to support for the tax increase. The survey found that support for the rate increase was only half as high if the revenue were dedicated to “transportation” in general (38%).

The survey series finds that support for increasing the federal gas tax rate has risen steadily since 2010. The figure below shows support for six options for raising the tax rate that vary only in designating different purposes for how the new revenue would be spent. Maintenance and safety improvements have always been the most popular options. 

Trends in Support for Raising the Federal Gas Tax Rate to Support Different Types of Improvements (2010 – 2025)

Note: In 2019, the survey mode changed from a random-digit-dial phone survey to an online panel survey. Comparisons of results from before and after should be interpreted with care, since changes in survey mode can affect responses.

Co-author Hilary Nixon, PhD, observes that the public also supports raising the tax rate to pay for environmental objectives. “For more than ten years, since 2013, at least half of respondents have supported tax increases to pay for reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.”

Support for different mileage fee options presented in the survey varied according to the details of the tax option. A majority of respondents (51%) supported replacing the gas tax with a green-rate mileage fee if the rate were an average of 3 cents per mile, but varied according to the vehicle’s pollution emissions. (More polluting vehicles would be charged a higher rate, and less polluting vehicles would pay a lower rate.) By contrast, only 44% supported a mileage fee with a flat rate of 3 cents per mile for all drivers. 

New survey questions added this year explored what kind of public or private organization respondents would prefer to have verify the number of miles a vehicle drives, should a mileage fee be adopted. The most popular options among those tested were two government entities: the state agency responsible for vehicle registration or tolling agencies. Fewer people opted for private companies, like vehicle insurance companies or vehicle manufacturers. 

Preferred entity to collect mileage data (2025) 

The survey also found that the majority of respondents supported lower mileage-fee rates for low-income drivers: almost two-thirds (63%) supported this option. 

Other survey findings include:

• If the federal government adopted a mileage fee, almost two-thirds of respondents would support charging a lower rate to low-income drivers.

• 82% of respondents want the federal government to prioritize spending federal revenue to improve how transportation agencies respond to disasters like wildfires, floods, and blizzards.

• 72% of respondents want the federal government to prioritize spending revenue to install cameras to better enforce rules against reckless driving, like speeding or running red lights.

The survey data for this study was collected from a nationally representative sample of 2,539 adults living in the United States. Respondents completed the online survey in February 2025.

ABOUT THE MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE

At the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San Jose State University (SJSU) our mission is to increase mobility for all by improving the safety, efficiency, accessibility, and convenience of our nations’ transportation system. Through research, education, workforce development and technology transfer, we help create a connected world. Founded in 1991, MTI is a university transportation center funded by the US Department of Transportation, the California Department of Transportation, and public and private grants, including those made available by the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB1). MTI is affiliated with SJSU’s Lucas College and Graduate School of Business.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Asha Weinstein Agrawal, PhD, is Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute’s National Transportation Finance Center. Hilary Nixon, PhD, is Deputy Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute.

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