That doubling still puts it at barely a fifth, but the overall numbers have been moving in the right direction.
Over all, 51 percent of Americans approve of the tax law, while 46 percent disapprove, according to a poll for The New York Times conducted between Feb. 5 and Feb. 11 by SurveyMonkey. Approval has risen from 46 percent in January and 37 percent in December, when the law was passed.
Support has grown even among Democrats, from 8 percent just before the bill passed in December to 19 percent this month. For Democrats, Mr. Cohen said, running on opposition to the bill has become more of a political gamble.
“It’s less of a sure bet than it seemed in December,” he said. “This isn’t a problem yet for Democrats, but the movement isn’t a positive one.”
Especially because of the reason for the change.
Perceptions of the bill were terrible because of negative media messaging. That's usually how it works.
Some common sense solutions, like Voter ID or a Muslim travel ban, win support despite media negativity because people understand them. Tax reform though was opaque and people didn't have a good grasp on what the consequences might be for them.
Now they're getting a sense.
The new withholding tables are kicking in and people are noticing a difference in their paychecks. And when people see the difference, they aren't going to care what the media says. That's why even Dems are starting to come around.