Environmental Polling Roundup – April 29th, 2022
HEADLINES
- Ipsos – The growing majority of Americans recognize that climate change is mostly caused by human activity, and most reject the idea that it’s too late for humans to stop it (Release, including topline)
- CBS News + YouGov – Americans who have experienced extreme weather say that it has made them more concerned about climate change (Article, Topline + Crosstabs)
- Yahoo + YouGov – In response to high energy prices, Americans are more likely to agree than disagree with arguments both to speed up the clean energy transition and to increase oil and gas drilling (Article, Topline, Crosstabs)
- World Economic Forum + Ipsos – Commanding majorities in the U.S. and other countries say that it’s important for their nation to shift away from fossil fuels in the next five years; few in any country blame climate change policies for the recent rise in energy prices (Article, Press Release, Report)
- Economist + YouGov – When forced to choose, Americans say that protecting the environment is more important than protecting jobs and would rather see more investment in combating climate change than less (Topline, Crosstabs)
- Blue Shield of California + Harris Poll – Climate change is a top-tier priority for Gen Z youth across the country, and most say that their mental health has been affected by climate change news (Release, Report)
GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT
- 75% of Americans say they’re concerned about climate change [Ipsos]
- 75% of Americans say that it’s important for the United States to shift away from fossil fuels to more climate-friendly and sustainable energy sources over the next five years [World Economic Forum + Ipsos]
- 62% of Americans who have experienced more extreme weather events in their area in recent years say that it has made them more concerned about climate change [CBS News + YouGov]
- 57% of Americans agree that climate change is mostly caused by human activity, compared to 27% who believe it is mostly caused by natural patterns and just 6% who don’t believe that it’s happening [Ipsos]
- More Americans say that climate change and the environment is the single most important issue to them than any other issue aside from the economy and health care [Economist + YouGov]
- [Gen Z] 85% of Gen Z Americans say that it’s important for them to support brands and companies that are sustainable and/or environmentally friendly [Blue Shield of California + Harris Poll]
- [Gen Z] 81% of Gen Z Americans say they’ve personally taken an action to respond to climate change, such as reducing their use of plastic, electricity, or water [Blue Shield of California + Harris Poll]
FULL ROUNDUP
Ipsos
The growing majority of Americans recognize that climate change is mostly caused by human activity, and most reject the idea that it’s too late for humans to stop it (Release, including topline)
This Earth Day-timed release from Ipsos shows that Americans increasingly understand that climate change is mostly being caused by human activities. The poll finds that 57% agree that humans are mostly responsible for the problem, which represents a three-point increase from Ipsos’s polling last year (54%) and a six-point increase since 2018 (51%).
Additionally, three-quarters of Americans (75%) say that they are at least “somewhat” concerned about climate change – including nearly all Democrats (94%) and just over half of Republicans (52%). The biggest difference in how partisans react to the threat of climate change is in the intensity of their concern, as the poll finds that Democrats (56%) are four times more likely than Republicans (14%) to say they are “very concerned” about climate change.
Ipsos also finds that Americans view the problem of climate change with a great deal of pessimism, but still don’t see the crisis as inevitable. The overwhelming majority agree that “humans can slow/reverse climate change but aren’t willing to change their behavior” (71% agree / 22% disagree), while only around one-quarter agree that “it is too late to stop climate change at this point” (27% agree / 62% disagree).
Americans are also split on whether individual actions can have an impact in combating climate change, with just over half disagreeing (39% agree / 53% disagree) with the statement that “large corporations and government policy can reduce climate change, but individual action makes no difference.”
CBS News + YouGov
Americans who have experienced extreme weather say that it has made them more concerned about climate change (Article, Topline + Crosstabs)
This new poll adds to the growing evidence that extreme weather is helping to drive the increase in public recognition of climate change, a trend that Yale and Pew have also recently highlighted.
CBS News and YouGov find that nearly half of Americans (46%) say that the area where they live has experienced more extreme weather related events in recent years. Within this 46% segment, the clear majority (62%) say that their personal experience with extreme weather has made them more concerned about climate change.
As in other polls on the topic, self-identified Democrats (66%) are far more likely than self-identified Republicans (30%) to report that their area is experiencing more extreme weather. And among those who say that their area has experienced more extreme weather, Democrats (74%) are considerably more likely than independents (58%) or Republicans (37%) to say that their personal experience with extreme weather has made them more concerned about climate change.
Still, CBS News and YouGov find that self-reported experience with extreme weather is strongly correlated with support for climate action among Republican partisans: Republicans who say that their area has experienced more extreme weather are more than twice as likely to say that climate change needs to be addressed “now” or “soon” (62%) than Republicans who say that they haven’t experienced more extreme weather (29%).
Yahoo + YouGov
In response to high energy prices, Americans are more likely to agree than disagree with arguments both to speed up the clean energy transition and to increase oil and gas drilling (Article, Topline, Crosstabs)
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exacerbated what was already a steep increase in gasoline prices, public polling has picked up on a variety of ways that Americans are feeling cross-pressured about how to respond. One consistent finding that has emerged is that Americans seem to be weighing climate and environmental factors more in the country’s long-term response to the current energy crisis than in the short-term response.
For example, while polling has shown that this moment has primed voters to want the country to be less reliant on fossil fuels, Americans also tend to support actions to increase oil drilling now. And as long as Americans continue to feel the impacts of high gasoline prices in their day-to-day lives, the public is likely to lean toward supporting pretty much any policy proposal aimed at bringing those prices down.
To that end, Yahoo and YouGov find that more Americans agree than disagree with both of the following when they are presented as proposals “in response high prices for oil and natural gas”:
- “The United States should make it easier to drill for oil and gas offshore and on land owned by the federal government, and approve more oil and gas pipelines” (52% agree / 25% disagree)
- “The United States should invest in speeding up the transition from fossil fuels to electric vehicles and clean sources of energy” (43% agree / 34% disagree)
When asked to choose between increasing fossil fuel extraction or speeding up the transition to cleaner energy sources, Yahoo and YouGov find that Americans are split:
- 31% prefer making it easier to drill for oil and gas on federal government land and approving more pipelines
- 29% prefer speeding up the transition from fossil fuels to electric vehicles and clean sources of energy
- 20% prefer doing both
One of the more encouraging findings in the poll is that Americans are not convinced that increased drilling will have its desired effect on reducing gas prices any time soon. The public is divided on what impact additional drilling on public land will have in lowering gas prices “in the near future,” with 34% expecting additional drilling will lower gas prices in the near future, 36% expecting that additional drilling won’t lower gas prices in the near future, and 30% not sure enough to say.
This uncertainty leaves a clear opening for climate advocates to continue making the case that doubling down on fossil fuels is not the answer to today’s energy crisis.
World Economic Forum + Ipsos
Commanding majorities in the U.S. and other countries say that it’s important for their nation to shift away from fossil fuels in the next five years; few in any country blame climate change policies for the recent rise in energy prices (Article, Press Release, Report)
This new 30-country survey affirms that, amid the current energy crisis, people in the U.S. and across the world overwhelmingly want their governments to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
Among U.S. respondents, three-quarters (75%) say it is important to them that the United States “shifts away from fossil fuels to more climate-friendly and sustainable energy sources over the next five years.”
For context, Americans’ support for transitioning away from fossil fuels is the second-lowest of the 30 countries surveyed and only ahead of Russia (72%). That said, residents of the U.S. are not far behind those in Canada (76%) or major Western European economies such as Germany (76%), France (78%), or Great Britain (80%) in calling for a shift away from fossil fuels.
The survey finds that support for the clean energy transition is highest in South Africa (93%) and in South American countries including Peru (93%), Argentina (92%), Chile (92%), and Colombia (91%). Residents of China (90%) and India (89%) also importantly rate on the higher end in supporting national transitions away from fossil fuels.
The survey also asked which of four potential factors is most to blame for recent increases in energy prices and found that the public does not see climate change policies as a primary factor behind the current energy crisis.
Averaged across countries, people are more likely to blame volatility in the oil and gas markets (28%), geopolitical tensions (25%), and insufficient supply to meet increased demand (18%) than climate change policies (13%).
This finding holds true in the U.S., as just 13% of Americans say that climate change policies are the main reason for increased energy prices while 28% blame volatility in the oil and gas markets, 20% blame geopolitical tensions, and 20% blame insufficient supply to meet increased demand.
Economist + YouGov
When forced to choose, Americans say that protecting the environment is more important than protecting jobs and would rather see more investment in combating climate change than less (Topline, Crosstabs)
Consistent with other public polling this week, the Economist and YouGov find that most Americans recognize human-caused climate change but are not optimistic about progress being made on the issue:
- 54% agree that the world’s climate is changing as a result of human activity, compared to 25% who believe that the world’s climate is changing for other reasons and 8% who deny that the climate is changing
- Just 25% believe that the United States will “do enough” to combat the effects of climate change over the next 10 years, compared to 44% who believe that the country won’t do enough
The survey also finds that Americans tend to believe that recent severe weather events are more likely the result of climate change than natural patterns and, consistent with other public polling, are relatively more likely to see climate change as a factor behind hot weather events than other types of extreme weather. The poll asked about the following five types of events, finding that Americans lean toward believing climate change is more responsible than natural patterns for all of them except tornadoes:
- Rising sea levels (58% result of climate change / 29% just happen from time to time)
- Western drought emergency (49% climate change / 36% just happen)
- Western wildfires (48% climate change / 38% just happen)
- Severe hurricanes like Katrina and Harvey (46% climate change / 42% just happen)
- Tornadoes (40% climate change / 45% just happen)
The poll also asked a couple of questions about the economics of combating climate change and found that Americans would rather see climate investments increase in the coming years (41%) than decrease (26%) or stay the same (19%). Additionally, while the question presupposes a false dichotomy, it’s notable that Americans say that protecting the environment (51%) is more important than protecting jobs (32%) when asked to choose between the two.
Blue Shield of California + Harris Poll
Climate change is a top-tier priority for Gen Z youth across the country, and most say that their mental health has been affected by climate change news (Release, Report)
This is the second annual youth climate poll sponsored by Blue Shield of California and, understandably given that it’s commissioned by a health insurance company, focuses a lot on the toll that climate change takes on young Americans’ mental health.
Drawing on interviews with 1,300 Gen Z Americans aged 14-24 across the United States, the survey finds that the environment and climate change rank among the top issue concerns for Gen Z. From a list of nine major issue categories, the environment and climate change (46%) ranks only behind jobs and the economy (52%) and racism and social justice (52%) when Gen Z Americans are asked to choose which issues they are most concerned with.
Additionally, nearly two-thirds (65%) of Gen Z Americans say that they have experienced a health-related problem stemming from a natural disaster or other environmental event. Stress (37%) and anxiety (36%) are the most common health issues that Gen Z Americans report experiencing as a result of environmental events.
The survey additionally finds that news about climate change and the environment is also a common trigger for mental health problems among young Americans, as 75% say they’ve experienced a mental health problem (such as stress, anxiety, or depression) as a result of “reading, seeing, or hearing news about climate change or the state of the environment.”
This deep concern and emotional investment clearly drives many Gen Z Americans to action, as 81% say they’ve taken some action (such as reducing their use of plastic, electricity, or water) to respond to climate change. However, the survey also shows that the consistently negative bent of climate news can make Gen Z Americans want to periodically disengage with the issue. The majority (57%) say they limit the amount of climate change-focused news that they consume in order to protect their mental health, suggesting that youth activation efforts could benefit from providing more solutions-oriented coverage and highlighting some of the progress being made toward climate goals.
Related Resources
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