"That's manifest in 53 per cent saying they would reject, or angrily reject, any motorway toll that didn't result in improvements to congestion," he said.
His organisation took the poll ahead of recommendations next week from a panel of independent advisers to Auckland Mayor Len Brown on ways of filling the transport funding chasm over the next 30 years.
The panel, which includes representatives of transport users and business organisations but which the AA quit last year, is expected to provide two funding models for Auckland Council to choose between after taking public submissions.
One will involve steep fuel and rates rises, and the other will rely more on new road charges such as tolls on motorway entry points into central Auckland, which the Government has previously opposed.
Mr Irvine believed the stronger preference of AA members for tolls was because of a perception they could modify their driving behaviour or routes.
That could mean driving more at quiet times, if tolls took the form of "congestion pricing" during peak hours.
"People are really averse to the idea of a rates increase - with a rates increase you feel you can't escape it."
He said about 50 per cent of those surveyed believed it would be a good idea to charge people more to drive at peak times, to free up roads.
Support among more affluent AA members was a higher 63 per cent, but many others were feeling "really anxious" about having to shoulder extra charges.
An example was a man who said he could barely make ends meet as it was, after having to drive across the harbour bridge from North Shore to Blockhouse Bay each day for work.
Mr Irvine said the survey showed the public were far behind officials in the transport infrastructure debate, and needed much more information about benefits from projects such as the $2.4 billion underground city rail link (CRL) from Britomart to Mt Eden.
Only about 33 per cent of those canvassed supported the CRL.
