Environmental Polling Roundup – August 23, 2024
HEADLINES
NRDC Action Fund + Climate Power + EDF Action + LCV – Voters overwhelmingly back strong government action on climate and have deeply unfavorable attitudes about lawmakers who deny that climate change is a threat; messaging focused on health and future generations continues to resonate [Release, Deck]
Data for Progress – Three in five voters say that the next president should prioritize “bold actions on climate change”; voters have heard little about VP Harris’s plans on climate change but still feel more positively than negatively about her approach on the issue [Article, Crosstabs]
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Candidates who back climate action are at a clear advantage in today’s political environment. Joint polling by NRDC Action Fund, Climate Power, EDF Action, and LCV finds that voters overwhelmingly agree that climate change is hurting the country and that the problem needs to be dealt with through strong government action. Additionally, voters – and swing voters in particular – have deeply negative attitudes about lawmakers who deny that climate change is a threat.
The idea that clean energy will save consumers money is gaining traction. NRDC Action Fund, Climate Power, EDF Action, and LCV also find that voters widely agree that clean/renewable energy has more potential to lower utility costs than fossil fuels do and that using more clean energy like wind and solar would save American families money. Costs have long been the public’s biggest concern about the clean energy transition, but data points like these clearly show that voters are willing to hear out advocates’ arguments about the cost savings of clean energy.
GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT
- [Climate Action] 70% of voters agree that the U.S. government should take strong action to combat climate change [NRDC AF + Climate Power + EDF Action + LCV]
- [Climate Impacts] 72% of voters agree that climate change is already having a serious impact on the country [NRDC AF + Climate Power + EDF Action + LCV]
- [Climate + Elections] 66% of voters feel unfavorably about “lawmakers who deny that climate change is a threat,” while just 18% feel favorably about them [NRDC AF + Climate Power + EDF Action + LCV]
- [Climate + Elections] 61% of voters agree that the next president should make bold actions on climate change a priority during their term [Data for Progress]
- [Clean Energy] 76% of voters agree that the U.S. should transition toward more clean energy like wind and solar [NRDC AF + Climate Power + EDF Action + LCV]
- [Clean Energy] 68% of voters agree that using more clean energy like wind and solar would save American families money [NRDC AF + Climate Power + EDF Action + LCV]
- [Clean Energy] 67% of voters agree that using more clean energy like wind and solar would create quality jobs and strengthen America’s economy [NRDC AF + Climate Power + EDF Action + LCV]
- [Environmental Justice] 58% of voters say that they’re more likely to vote for a candidate for president who supports creating an Environmental Justice Fund to make significant investments in environmental justice projects, such as upgrading water systems in low income communities to remove lead and other harmful chemicals [Data for Progress]
FULL ROUNDUP
NRDC Action Fund + Climate Power + EDF Action + LCV – Voters overwhelmingly back strong government action on climate and have deeply unfavorable attitudes about lawmakers who deny that climate change is a threat; messaging focused on health and future generations continues to resonate [Release, Deck]
This joint poll release includes a wealth of findings about voters’ attitudes on climate and clean energy issues, how they perceive these issues in the context of this year’s elections, and the most effective messaging to build support for pro-climate political platforms.
Pulling from the deck’s “Conclusions and Recommendations,” which are largely geared toward electoral work but also include a lot of relevant takeaways for 501(c)(3) advocacy:
“Democrats should embrace a fight over climate and energy. Republicans believe they have a winning issue with clean energy but are clearly misguided. While voters are not looking for a war on fossil fuels, there is a strong desire to move toward clean energy.
Climate denial is a potential wedge issue for Republicans. Not only do swing voters not find ‘lawmakers who deny climate change is a threat’ acceptable, but opposition voters no longer do either—showing just how out of touch Republican leadership has become on this issue.
There is an opportunity to go on offense when it comes to costs. American voters are concerned about costs and inflation, yes, but they reject the notion they must choose between lower costs and clean energy. In fact, by large numbers, swing voters believe that moving toward clean energy, like wind and solar, will save American families money.
Focus more on the transition TOWARD clean energy than the transition AWAY from fossil fuels. While we know that, in the end, this is a zero-sum game, voters don’t think about energy that way. They are more in favor of clean energy than they are opposed to fossil fuels. This isn’t to say that we should not talk about moving away from fossil fuels, just that it should always be paired with what we’re moving towards, which should have greater emphasis.
While we win either way, Democrats do better attacking Republicans on climate than touting their own, positive record. When matched against attacks from Republicans, both positive Democratic messaging and messaging attacking Republicans move the vote in our favor. However, we make more gains when going negative on Republicans.
Remind people why we need to act now: a responsibility to leave a better future for our kids. The idea that we have a responsibility to address climate change in order to leave a better and healthier world for our children and grandchildren continues to remain the most powerful frame.
When going negative on Republicans, highlight their fealty to Big Oil – and what that means for Americans’ pocketbooks: Big Oil CEOs have been caught colluding with foreign governments to drive prices up, yet Republicans have promised those same CEOs that they will give them handouts and kill clean energy, even though clean energy is cheaper.
Paint a picture of what it will look like for our children if Republicans get their way: more severe—and strange—weather like storms, extreme heat, and water shortages. While both positive and negative frames work, we get more of a lift from hitting Republicans.
And talk about high-quality jobs, including for those without a college degree: Voters liked hearing about new jobs that are being created and giving a boost to the economy—especially that many of these are good paying jobs that do not require a college degree. Even opposition voters concede that clean energy will create quality jobs and strengthen America’s economy.”
Data for Progress – Three in five voters say that the next president should prioritize “bold actions on climate change”; voters have heard little about VP Harris’s plans on climate change but still feel more positively than negatively about her approach on the issue [Article, Crosstabs]
This new poll from Data for Progress finds that Harris is well positioned to lean into climate change as a priority, as voters clearly want the next president to take action on the issue.
Most voters say that climate change is important in their vote. Nearly two-thirds of voters (66%) say that a candidate’s stance on climate change is either “important” in their vote (52%) or a “dealbreaker” (14%) in their decision about whether or not to vote for someone.
Additionally, around one-third of voters (32%) say that climate change is more important in their vote this year than in 2020. (Only 22% say that climate change is less important in their vote this year than in 2020.)
Latino voters (41%), Black voters (37%), and younger voters under 45 (39%) are particularly likely to say that climate change has become more important to their voting decisions since 2020.
Voters want the next president to prioritize climate change. Around three in five voters (61%) say that the next president should prioritize “bold actions on climate change” during their term, including 28% who say that the next president should prioritize bold climate action on their very first day in office.
Voters have heard little about Harris’s climate platform, but still lean toward trusting her on the issue. Most voters (60%) say that they’ve heard little or nothing about Harris’s plans to address climate change. However, Americans seem to feel that Harris has the right approach to the issue. An AP-NORC poll last month found that more Americans trust Harris on the issue (53%) than trust Biden (47%) or Trump (31%).
Here, Data for Progress finds that Americans are more likely to have positive opinions (46%) than negative opinions (41%) about Harris’s plans to address climate change. This is in large part because Democrats have overwhelmingly positive attitudes about her climate plans (87% positive / 4% negative), even though nearly half of Democrats (46%) say that they’ve heard little or nothing about her plans on the issue.
Voters are attracted to Harris’s record on climate and the environment, including funding for environmental justice projects. Data for Progress finds that voters have positive reactions to key environmental initiatives that Harris has championed. For example, most voters (58%) say that they’re more likely to vote for a candidate for president who supports creating an Environmental Justice Fund to make significant investments in environmental justice projects.
Additionally, majorities say that they’re more likely to vote for a candidate for president who supports creating millions of new union jobs to build new clean energy infrastructure (55%) and who supports historic investments in 21st century sustainable infrastructure projects (52%).
Related Resources
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