State infrastructure coordinators hear from GIIA on investor and public attitudes towards U.S. market
GIIA was given a large speaking platform at a meeting of state infrastructure coordinators in Washington DC in late September
Pictured above: Tom Curtin, Director of NGA’s infrastructure program NGA (right) with GIIA’s Simon Montague (left) and David Quam (far right) at the state coordinators’ meeting.
GIIA's U.S. Advisor, David Quam, and Director of Corporate Affairs, Simon Montague, presented officials from more than 35 states with exclusive insights into the views of both investors and global citizens at a meeting organized by our partner, the National Governors Association (NGA).
Drawing on data from our Pulse Surveys, we highlighted how the U.S. continues to be the world’s most attractive destination for investors, ensuring that the assembled aides to state governors understood the scale of our members’ willingness to engage in public-private partnerships (P3s) and finance infrastructure modernization.
A sneak preview of results from our new annual survey of global attitudes to infrastructure, produced in partnership with polling company Ipsos, was also shared. This survey, which we expect to publish in October, polled 23,000 people across 32 countries.
Coordinators were briefed on the fact that just a third (33%) of U.S. citizens are satisfied with the overall state of the country’s infrastructure, a figure that contrasts with satisfaction rates of over 40% in fully developed economies like France, Australia, Japan, and South Korea, and over 50% in leading APAC countries.
We further demonstrated that a majority of U.S. citizens (60%) agree they are open to private companies investing in infrastructure if it brings improvements, while only 10% disagree. There is also a broadly even three-way split between those who agree, disagree, and are unsure about whether the U.S. should increase spending on infrastructure, even if it results in higher taxes or costs for consumers.
The presentation sparked a lively Q&A session, with discussions on how states and the private sector might collaborate more effectively, and positive experiences of such partnerships were shared.
This meeting was part of our ongoing close collaboration with the NGA, aimed at demonstrating that investors are ready to assist states and local governments, that citizens are calling for action, and that there is openness to a public dialogue—and potential culture change—around how to finance future U.S. infrastructure projects.