Environmental Polling Roundup – August 16, 2024
HEADLINES
UMD Program for Public Consultation – Overwhelming majorities nationally and in key swing states support maintaining tax credits for EVs, clean energy, and energy efficiency while limiting offshore drilling [Report, including links to state-specific toplines and crosstabs]
USC – Americans have similar reactions to “climate change” and “global warming,” but are less concerned about the “climate emergency” or “climate crisis” as fewer know these terms; only around one-third are familiar with “climate justice” [Article, Open Access Paper]
[PA] Evergreen Action + PennEnvironment + Conservation Voters of PA + Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance – Pennsylvania voters widely support expanding clean energy in the state, as most believe that it will bring benefits for people’s health and future generations [Release, Poll Memo]
[GA + SC] NRDC – Voters in Georgia and South Carolina strongly support protecting deep-sea coral habitats like the Blake Plateau [Release, Poll Memo]
KEY TAKEAWAYS
“Climate change” and “global warming” now mean essentially the same thing to the public, but more dramatic language (e.g., “climate crisis”) can actually be counterproductive. A new study by researchers at USC finds that there is no meaningful difference between the terms “climate change” and “global warming” in eliciting concern, urgency, or policy support from the U.S. public. However, the terms “climate crisis” and “climate emergency” actually provoke relatively less concern as they don’t have the same kind of universal familiarity as “climate change” or “global warming.”
Now that IRA tax credits have been implemented, Americans are very resistant to repealing them. The UMD Program for Public Consultation finds that overwhelming majorities of Americans nationwide and in swing states support either maintaining or expanding the IRA’s tax credits for residential clean energy, energy efficiency, and electric vehicles. Echoing how Republican attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act led to a huge backlash from voters, these poll findings indicate that Republican lawmakers are right to be concerned about their party’s calls to repeal IRA policies that Americans across the country are benefitting from.
GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT
- [Clean Energy] 88% of Americans support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for residential clean energy production [UMD]
- [Energy Efficiency] 89% of Americans support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for new energy-efficient heating or air conditioning systems [UMD]
- [Energy Efficiency] 86% of Americans support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for energy-saving improvements, such as fuel-efficient lighting, doors, windows, or insulation [UMD]
- [Vehicle Emissions] 70% of Americans support the EPA’s standards requiring new cars and light trucks to get 20-30% more miles per gallon by 2027 [UMD]
- [Electric Vehicles] 80% of Americans support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for used EVs, and 79% support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for new EVs [UMD]
- [Offshore Drilling] 76% of Americans say that the government should either maintain or decrease the current amount of offshore drilling, while only 23% want to increase it [UMD]
- [Pennsylvania] 78% of Pennsylvania voters support the state “significantly” increasing its use of clean energy sources like wind and solar to generate electricity [Evergreen Action + PennEnvironment + Conservation Voters of PA + Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance]
FULL ROUNDUP
UMD Program for Public Consultation – Overwhelming majorities nationally and in key swing states support maintaining tax credits for EVs, clean energy, and energy efficiency while limiting offshore drilling [Report, including links to state-specific toplines and crosstabs]
Americans overwhelmingly want to see the Biden-Harris administration’s clean energy and clean vehicle tax credits continued. More than three-quarters nationally support maintaining or increasing climate-friendly tax credits that were part of the IRA:
- -89% support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for new energy-efficient heating or air conditioning systems (currently up to $1,500)
- -88% support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for the production of clean energy (currently equal to 30% of the cost of equipment)
- -86% support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for energy-saving improvements, such as fuel-efficient lighting, doors, windows, or insulation (currently up to $6,500)
- -80% support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for used electric vehicles (currently up to $4,000 for buyers earning less than $75,000)
- -79% support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for new electric vehicles (currently up to $7,500 for buyers earning less than $150,000)
Swing state residents join with the rest of the country in supporting the continuation of clean energy and clean vehicle tax credits. In oversamples of six key swing states (AZ, GA, MI, NV, PA, and WI), the survey also finds that large majorities in each state want to keep all of these tax credits in place.
Across the six swing states:
- -85%+ support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for new energy-efficient heating or air conditioning systems (currently up to $1,500)
- -83%+ support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for the production of clean energy (currently equal to 30% of the cost of equipment)
- -83%+ support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for energy-saving improvements, such as fuel-efficient lighting, doors, windows, or insulation (currently up to $6,500)
- -73%+ support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for used electric vehicles (currently up to $4,000 for buyers earning less than $75,000)
- -73%+ support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for new electric vehicles (currently up to $7,500 for buyers earning less than $150,000)
New vehicle emissions standards are popular nationally and in swing states. Seven in ten Americans nationally (70%), and around two-thirds or more (66%+) in each of the oversampled swing states, support the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation requiring new cars and light trucks to get 20-30% more miles per gallon by 2027.
Americans, including those in swing states, overwhelmingly oppose increasing offshore drilling. Around three-quarters nationally (76%), and 69%+ in the six oversampled swing states, say that the government should either maintain or decrease offshore drilling.
Only around one-quarter nationally (23%), and similar percentages in the swing states (23%-30%), say that offshore drilling should be increased. And despite Trump’s recent rhetoric about increasing drilling, less than half of Republicans in swing states (36%-47%) say that they want to see offshore drilling increased.
USC – Americans have similar reactions to “climate change” and “global warming,” but are less concerned about the “climate emergency” or “climate crisis” as fewer know these terms; only around one-third are familiar with “climate justice” [Article, Open Access Paper]
Americans are more familiar with the terms “climate change” and “global warming” than alternate labels. While nearly nine in ten are familiar with “global warming” (88%) and “climate change” (87%) by name, the terms “climate crisis” (76%) and “climate emergency” (58%) don’t have this same level of universal familiarity.
Additionally, just one in three (33%) are familiar with the term “climate justice.”
Referring to the “climate crisis” and “climate emergency” doesn’t increase concern or urgency. The study finds that Americans are actually relatively less concerned about the problem when it’s referred to as the “climate crisis” or “climate emergency” as opposed to “climate change” or “global warming,” likely because they have less familiarity with the terms “climate emergency” and “climate crisis.”
The study found no significant differences between these four terms in eliciting policy support to address the problem, and only small differences in ratings of urgency with “climate crisis” actually producing less of a sense of urgency than other terms.
“Climate change” and “global warming” produce very similar reactions across metrics. On every measured variable, including familiarity, concern, urgency, policy support, and willingness to take personal action, the study found no meaningful differences between Americans’ reactions to “global warming” and “climate change.”
[PA] Evergreen Action + PennEnvironment + Conservation Voters of PA + Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance – Pennsylvania voters widely support expanding clean energy in the state, as most believe that it will bring benefits for people’s health and future generations [Release, Poll Memo]
The bipartisan majority of Pennsylvania voters support “significant” clean energy expansion. Nearly four in ten (78%) say that they support Pennsylvania “significantly increasing its use of clean energy sources like wind and solar to generate electricity,” with around half (48%) strongly in favor of this proposal.
Support for clean energy expansion also extends across party lines in the state, with 93% of Democrats, 84% of independents, and 59% of Republicans all in favor.
Pennsylvanians believe that clean energy expansion in Pennsylvania will yield particularly positive benefits for people’s health, the climate, and future generations. Majorities say that significantly increasing clean energy in Pennsylvania will have positive impacts on the following areas:
- -Future generations of Pennsylvanians (63% positive / 16% negative)
- -Air and water quality in Pennsylvania (62% positive / 9% negative)
- -Climate change (57% positive / 6% negative)
- -The health of families like yours (57% positive / 7% negative)
Additionally, Pennsylvanians are far more likely to anticipate positive than negative impacts from clean energy expansion on the economy (49% positive / 23% negative), the reliability of electricity (47% positive / 21% negative), and the affordability of electricity (46% positive / 25% negative).
[GA + SC] NRDC – Voters in Georgia and South Carolina strongly support protecting deep-sea coral habitats like the Blake Plateau [Release, Poll Memo]
Voters in the region overwhelmingly support protecting deep-sea coral habitats like the Blake Plateau. The poll, which was conducted of Georgia voters statewide as well as voters in coastal counties in South Carolina, finds that more than four in five voters in the region (84%) support protecting deep-sea coral reefs. This includes a majority (53%) who strongly support protecting deep-sea coral reefs.
And after learning that the Blake Plateau (an ocean area off the coasts of the Carolinas, Florida, and Georgia) contains the world’s largest deep-sea coral habitat, 83% support protecting deep-sea coral areas on the Blake Plateau and 59% strongly support protecting these areas.
Overwhelming majorities of voters across party lines – including Democrats (86%), independents (85%), and Republicans (82%) – support protecting the Blake Plateau’s deep-sea coral habitat.
Voters widely care about protecting the area’s marine life. Large majorities say that supporting endangered species such as sperm whales (76%) and preserving the world’s largest deep-sea coral reef habitat (71%) are convincing reasons to support protections on the Blake Plateau.
Additionally, around four-fifths of Black voters in the region (79%) say that the area’s legacy as a cultural landmark for the Gullah/Geechee people is a convincing reason to support these protections.
There is clear political upside to protecting the Blake Plateau. Nearly half of voters in the region (46%) say that they would feel more favorably about a president who protects deep-sea coral areas in the region, while just 4% would feel less favorably.
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