The News: The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL), in partnership with Heart+Mind Strategies, released “Bridging the Gap,” new public opinion research exploring how populist-leaning conservative voters in Wisconsin view government institutions, as well as ways to reconnect classical conservative principles like federalism, free markets, and trust institutions with values this key audience already holds.

The Quotes: WILL Research Director, Will Flanders, stated, “Effective messaging leads with acknowledging the real economic pain that exists today while avoiding abstract ideology or academic jargon. Conservatives spend little time explaining the positive and practical results of America’s founding principles. We would do better showing real results instead of asking people to simply trust the message.”

Erin Norman, Vice President of Public Policy at Heart+Mind Strategies, stated, “People want leaders and institutions they can trust, but they increasingly define trust through proof rather than promises. Across this research, transparency, accountability, and visible safeguards consistently emerged as the foundation for rebuilding confidence.”

Who We Surveyed: The report was based on two phases of original public opinion research conducted by Heart+Mind Strategies in partnership with WILL in early 2026. Both phases focused exclusively on populist-leaning conservatives in Wisconsin. In total 277 Wisconsin conservatives participated: 250 in a quantitative survey and 27 in qualitative focus groups. All identified as Republican or Republican-leaning and expressed populist skepticism of government and institutions.

What We Found:

Cost of living and the economy are this audience’s top concerns, named far ahead of any other issue — 24% name inflation as their top voting issue and another 24% name the economy. Any message that does not first acknowledge that economic pain will struggle to land.

Populist leaning conservatives also have a deep distrust of institutions such as the federal government, the media, and the way elections are conducted. However, that distrust is not fixed.

On elections, respondents with deep skepticism are more open to a conversation than their distrust suggests. When told about Wisconsin’s specific safeguards — WisVote, ballot chain of custody, public machine testing, post-election audits and public observation rights — most were unaware of them. For many, learning about these safeguards increased confidence; for the most deeply skeptical, awareness alone was not enough to move trust. The shift is measurable: asked how confident they were that future national elections would be conducted fairly, 64% said confident, and told the federal SAVE Act would add citizenship verification and other safeguards; that number rose to 84%. Confidence in local elections is already high at 85%.

The most effective approach, based on our research, is to use Voter ID as a gateway and then walk people through additional safeguards one by one — building the case through specific, visible proof rather than broad reassurances.

How Economic Pain Can Drives Voters Towards Price Controls: This audience’s biggest break with free-market conservatism is on price controls. This audience is genuinely split on government intervention in prices. There is meaningful support for government caps on prescription drugs (59%), energy/utility rates (56%) and credit card interest rates (45%). This is an important populist divergence from what traditional free-market conservatives traditionally support.

The most effective response to this is not to deny economic pain or dismiss the impulse toward price controls, but to explain the downstream consequences — particularly for small businesses and local stores — in concrete terms.

By the Numbers:

  • Cost of living and the economy are the top issues, named far ahead of any other concern with 24% of respondents naming inflation as their top issue and another 24% naming the economy
  • 98% say addressing corruption and transparency in government is important
  • 90% support more government audits
  • 67% say real accountability requires checks and balances, not unilateral authority
  • Confidence in fair national elections rises from 64% to 84% when tied to specific safeguards
  • 85% are confident their local elections are conducted fairly
  • 91% say you can disagree with someone and still respect them

Messaging That Works:

As part of the survey, WILL also took these findings to develop a messaging toolkit for policymakers and communicators to use to reinforce these principles. Here are some highlights.

  • Highlight specific examples of how classical principles have delivered individual autonomy, limited the concentration of power, and freedom of economic choice. Highlight the specific harms of alternative approaches have caused such as corrupt bureaucracy, shortages, and limits on individual rights.
  • Use plain language throughout. Short, declarative sentences. No jargon. No academic framing. No economic theory that doesn’t connect to someone’s grocery bill or employer.
  • Build from local to national. Start with what’s trusted (local officials, local processes, neighbors) and build toward larger institutions. Never start from the top down.
  • Drive with proof and specifics, visible safeguards, and tangible outcomes. Avoid reassurances that ask people to simply trust without showing them why.

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