One of the ways the great society is considered an improvement over the new deal is that it:

had greater support

addressed civil rights

restricted government

would continue forever

The Great Society addressed Civil Rights, whereas the New Deal did not. The New Deal was proposed in the 1930's by President Franklin Roosevelt to combat the effects of the Great Depression. It did not necessarily mention anything specifically about Civil Rights, but in some of the legislation, like the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), African American men were allowed to work with whites to earn a small wage that would be sent back to their families. The Great Society on the other hand, proposed by President Lyndon Johnson, directly aimed to improve Civil Rights by enacting legislation like the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

It is very important to our life