Environmental Polling Roundup – April 19, 2024
HEADLINES
AP-NORC + AAPI Data – A steady seven in ten Americans recognize that climate change is happening, including a particularly high percentage of AAPI adults; Americans rate Biden far better than Trump on climate change, but only three in ten say that Biden has made a positive impact on the issue [IRA Article, AAPI Article, AAPI Report, National Adult Topline, AAPI Topline]
Yale + GMU – Americans are more interested in hearing about solutions to climate change than causes, impacts, or evidence [Article]
Navigator – Voters strongly support provisions in President Biden’s budget to close Big Oil tax loopholes and lower energy costs [Release, Deck]
NRDC – Voters recognize plastic pollution as a major problem and an overwhelming, bipartisan majority support the U.S. joining a Global Plastics Treaty [Memo, Deck]
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- President Biden has a real advantage on climate change in the presidential election, but it’s dulled by Americans’ low awareness of actions such as the IRA. A new AP-NORC poll finds that Americans have more trust in Biden and Democrats to handle climate change than Trump and Republicans, which is a very consistent finding in polling. The public is more likely to say that Biden’s presidency has helped than hurt on the issue, while Americans are much more likely to say that Trump’s presidency hurt the problem than helped it. However, only about three in ten say that Biden’s presidency has helped on climate change as the plurality believe that he has made no real impact either way. Additionally, in a series of questions about the Inflation Reduction Act’s impact on various dimensions – such as the economy, inflation, and climate change – Americans are more likely to admit that they don’t know enough about the law to say than to rate its impact as positive, negative, or neutral.
- Support for action on plastic pollution is strong and bipartisan. Polling released earlier this month by Greenpeace found resounding support in countries across the world for a strong Global Plastics Treaty, and a new poll released by NRDC finds that U.S. voters’ support for a Global Plastics Treaty extends across the political spectrum. Voters widely recognize that plastic pollution is a problem and bipartisan majorities support a range of measures that could be included in an international treaty, including measures to reduce plastic production and move away from single-use plastics.
GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT
- [Oil + Gas Accountability] 77% of voters support the provision in President Biden’s budget to close tax loopholes that benefit Big Pharma, Big Oil, and wealthy corporations, including 56% who strongly support this provision [Navigator]
- [Oil + Gas Accountability] 67% of Americans say that oil and gas companies are doing too little to address climate change [AP-NORC]
- [Oil + Gas Accountability] 58% of Americans say that oil and gas companies have “a lot” of responsibility to address climate change [AP-NORC]
- [Climate Action] The majority of Americans (56%) say that the federal government is doing too little to address climate change [AP-NORC]
- [Climate Change] 71% of Americans recognize that climate change is happening [AP-NORC]
- [Climate Change] 45% of Americans say that they’ve become more concerned about climate change over the past year, while only 10% have become less concerned about it [AP-NORC]
- [Plastic Pollution] 87% of voters support measures to reduce the production of plastics [NRDC]
- [Plastic Pollution] 87% of voters support the U.S. joining an international treaty on plastic pollution [NRDC]
- [Plastic Pollution] 86% of voters agree that the U.S. should take action to move away from single-use plastic [NRDC]
FULL ROUNDUP
AP-NORC + AAPI Data – A steady seven in ten Americans recognize that climate change is happening, including a particularly high percentage of AAPI adults; Americans rate Biden far better than Trump on climate change, but only three in ten say that Biden has made a positive impact on the issue [IRA Article, AAPI Article, AAPI Report, National Adult Topline, AAPI Topline]
The steady majority of Americans recognize that climate change is happening. Seven in ten Americans (71%) now recognize that climate change is happening, which is in the same range as the previous four AP-NORC surveys going back to 2022 (71%-74% in each survey).
Americans are also far more likely to say that they have become more concerned about climate change in the past year (45%) than less concerned (10%), though 45% say that there has been no change in their concern.
Climate change understanding and concern is particularly high in AAPI communities. AAPI Data and AP-NORC also asked several climate-related questions of a representative national sample of AAPI adults. They find that AAPI adults overwhelmingly recognize that climate change is happening (84%, 13 points higher than the national average of 71%).
Compared to AP-NORC’s data among adults nationwide, they find that AAPI adults are also considerably more concerned about the impacts of climate change on themselves personally (51% “extremely” or “very” concerned, compared to 42% of all U.S. adults) and on future generations (73% “extremely” or “very” concerned, compared to 62% of all U.S. adults).
The public continues to say that the government is doing too little on climate change, while placing the most responsibility for the problem on corporate actors such as oil and gas companies. When asked how much responsibility various entities have for addressing climate change, Americans feel most strongly about oil and gas companies and large businesses and corporations needing to take action.
Here are the percentages who say that each of the following have “a lot” of responsibility for addressing climate change:
- Oil and gas companies – 58% “a lot” of responsibility
- Large businesses and corporations – 54%
- Developed or industrialized countries outside the U.S. – 50%
- The U.S. federal government – 49%
- Your state and local government officials – 36%
- Developing countries – 33%
- Individual people – 28%
Meanwhile, majorities say that all of these entities are doing “too little” (as opposed to “too much” or “about the right amount”) to address climate change:
- Oil and gas companies – 67% “too little”
- Large businesses and corporations – 67%
- Developed or industrialized countries outside the U.S. – 67%
- Developing countries – 64%
- The U.S. federal government – 56%
- Your state and local government officials – 55%
- Individual people – 55%
These findings are very consistent with other polling, which regularly shows that Americans believe that the federal government and large corporations both need to take significant action in order to address climate change.
Americans believe that President Biden’s presidency has been ineffective on climate change, but not outright harmful like Trump’s. Only around three in ten Americans (29%) say that President Biden’s presidency has helped on climate change, while nearly half (46%) say that his presidency has neither hurt nor helped.
The public still rates Trump’s presidency far worse on the issue: nearly half (46%) say that Trump’s presidency had a negative impact on climate change, compared to 22% who say that Biden’s presidency had a negative impact. Just 12% say that Trump helped on climate change, while 41% say that Trump’s presidency neither helped nor hurt on the issue.
Looking forward, Americans are also more likely to say that they have at least “some” trust in President Biden (42%) and Democrats in Congress (44%) to address climate change than Trump (33%) or Republicans in Congress (28%).
Americans don’t know enough about the Inflation Reduction Act to really evaluate its impact. After telling respondents that the Inflation Reduction Act “was passed in 2022 by Congress and signed by President Biden,” AP-NORC finds that Americans have mixed attitudes about whether the law has done more to help or hurt the U.S. economy (19% help / 26% hurt), U.S. workers (17% help / 24% hurt), inflation (16% help / 28% hurt), or climate change (16% help / 13% hurt).
Across all of these dimensions, however, Americans are more likely to report that they “don’t know enough to say” what kind of an impact the IRA has had than to say that it helped, hurt, or made no difference. This is typical of polling on the IRA, which shows that Americans are still too unfamiliar with the law to provide much of an opinion if they aren’t provided with more information about it.
The public remains closely divided on electric vehicles. On each of the following dimensions, Americans are about equally likely to say that electric vehicles have had a “good” impact as to say that EVs have had a “bad” impact:
- U.S. automakers – 29% good / 31% bad
- U.S. workers – 26% good / 23% bad
- The U.S. economy – 24% good / 25% bad
- You personally – 15% good / 16% bad
Yale + GMU – Americans are more interested in hearing about solutions to climate change than causes, impacts, or evidence [Article]
If they were given the chance to ask one question of a global warming expert, Americans are most likely to ask about solutions to the problem. In their most recent Climate Change in the American Mind survey, Yale and GMU asked respondents which of 13 questions they would most want to ask a global warming expert if given the chance to talk to one.
Grouping the 13 question options into four categories (solutions, causes, impacts, and evidence), Yale and GMU find in a new analysis that far more Americans would ask about solutions (44%) than evidence (20%), causes (18%), or impacts (11%).
Of the four questions that Americans most want to ask, three fit into the solutions category:
- [Causes] How do you know that global warming is caused mostly by human activities, not natural changes in the environment? – Chosen by 16%
- [Solutions] What can the nations of the world do to reduce global warming? – 14%
- [Solutions] Is there still time to reduce global warming, or is it too late? – 13%
- [Solutions] What can the United States do to reduce global warming? – 9%
Left-leaning audiences are particularly eager to hear about solutions, but conservative audiences still want to hear about the evidence and causes. Of major political and demographic subgroups, Yale and GMU find that liberal Democrats (71%) are the most likely to say that they would ask solutions-focused questions. Meanwhile, conservative Republicans are the most likely to say that they would ask about evidence (37%) and causes (33%).
These data points show that, while the majority of Americans recognize the reality of climate change and are eager to hear about solutions, it is still important to address questions that more climate-skeptical audiences might have about its causes and the evidence behind it.
Navigator – Voters strongly support provisions in President Biden’s budget to close Big Oil tax loopholes and lower energy costs [Release, Deck]
Closing tax loopholes for corporations like Big Oil is one of the most popular provisions in President Biden’s proposed budget. Roughly three-quarters (77%) support Biden’s proposal to “close tax loopholes that benefit Big Pharma, Big Oil, and wealthy corporations,” including a majority (56%) who strongly support this proposal. Of the 14 budget provisions that Navigator asked about, this provision ranks on par with extending the insulin price cap and expanding Medicare prescription drug negotiations in eliciting the most “strong support.”
Voters also widely support Biden’s plan to lower energy costs by investing in clean energy and energy assistance. Seven in ten voters (70%) also support Biden’s proposal to “lower energy costs through clean energy investments and increased funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program,” including 42% who strongly support this budget provision.
NRDC – Voters recognize plastic pollution as a major problem and an overwhelming, bipartisan majority support the U.S. joining a Global Plastics Treaty [Memo, Deck]
Americans are acutely aware of the harms of plastic pollution, particularly to the ocean and marine life. Most voters rate plastic pollution as a “crisis” or “major problem” both globally (79%) and in the United States (70%).
Majorities also rate each of the following specific harms as either a “crisis” or “major problem”:
- Harm to ocean wildlife and habitats from plastic pollution – 86% “crisis” or “major problem”
- Plastic filling up landfills, polluting waterways, and getting burned into incinerators leading to air pollution – 79%
- Damage to soil and groundwater from plastic pollution – 73%
- The impact of plastic pollution on people’s health – 65%
- The contribution of fossil-fuel based plastic to climate change – 64%
Voters strongly agree that the U.S. needs to take action to reduce plastic pollution, including by moving away from single-use plastics and reducing plastic production. More than four in five voters agree with each of the following statements about action to address plastic pollution, including large percentages who strongly agree with each:
- The U.S. should take action to eliminate the most toxic forms of plastic – 94% agree, 63% agree strongly
- The U.S. should take action to prevent microplastics from entering our food and water supplies – 94% agree, 63% agree strongly
- The U.S. should invest in solutions that reduce plastic production and waste – 90% agree, 50% agree strongly
- I want to see national and state lawmakers take action to address plastic pollution – 87% agree, 44% agree strongly
- The U.S. should take action to move away from single-use plastic – 86% agree, 49% agree strongly
- The U.S. should be an international leader in addressing plastic pollution – 84% agree, 45% agree strongly
- The U.S. should limit plastic pollution to protect people’s health, even if it might mean fewer jobs – 82% agree, 43% agree strongly
When it comes to measures to “reduce the production of plastics” specifically, 87% say that they support this type of action – including large majorities of Democrats (94%), independents (80%), and Republicans (80%).
Voters across party lines support the U.S. joining a Global Plastics Treaty. Nearly nine in ten voters (87%) support the U.S. joining an international treaty on plastic pollution, including close to half (46%) who strongly support the idea.
Large majorities of Democrats (97%), independents (89%), and Republicans (76%) all support the U.S. joining an international treaty on the issue.
Major measures being considered in the Global Plastics Treaty are overwhelmingly popular. The survey asked about five possible measures that could be part of an international treaty on plastic pollution, finding that all have widespread and intense support:
- Eliminating toxic chemicals in plastics to protect people’s health – 94% support, 63% support strongly
- Ensuring that we know what harmful chemicals are used in plastic products and how much – 92% agree, 60% support strongly
- Encouraging and supporting alternatives to single-use plastics – 90% support, 55% support strongly
- Reducing plastic production by eliminating unnecessary and avoidable plastic products that cause plastic pollution – 88% support, 51% support strongly
- Limiting plastic production to ensure that we meet climate goals since plastic is made from fossil fuels – 83% support, 45% support strongly
Related Resources
Environmental Polling Roundup – August 6th, 2021
This post includes a roundup of climate + environment headlines from this week’s public polls, good data points to highlight, and a full roundup including key takeaways from each poll.
Environmental Polling Roundup – August 23rd, 2021
This post includes a roundup of climate + environment headlines from this week’s public polls, good data points to highlight, and a full roundup including key takeaways from each poll.
Environmental Polling Roundup – August 27th, 2021
This post includes a roundup of climate + environment headlines from this week’s public polls, good data points to highlight, and a full roundup including key takeaways from each poll.