Environmental Polling Roundup – August 9, 2024
HEADLINES
Climate Power + Data for Progress – Voters widely approve of Kamala Harris’s record on climate and clean energy; standout accomplishments include cleaning up drinking water, taking on polluters, and passing clean energy legislation [Article, Harris/Trump Contrast Crosstabs, Harris Accomplishment Crosstabs]
AP-NORC – Nearly two-thirds of Americans say that climate change is negatively impacting the country, and four in five say that they’ve personally been impacted by severe weather [Article, Topline]
Pew – Support for nuclear power has been steadily increasing over the past several years, and the majority of Americans now say that the country should expand its use [Article]
Data for Progress – Voters haven’t heard much about PFAS, but express deep concerns after learning about them; voters are particularly concerned about PFAS exposure through drinking water, and overwhelmingly support new EPA standards to limit it [Article, Crosstabs]
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The public is encouraged by Kamala Harris’s climate record, and have more confidence in her to handle the issue than other national figures. Climate Power and Data for Progress find that Harris starts her presidential campaign with clear advantages on climate and clean energy issues. Voters continue to widely approve of the Biden-Harris administration’s major accomplishments on climate, energy, and the environment, and also side more with Harris over Trump in key debates over clean energy, polluter accountability, and climate action. An AP-NORC poll further finds that Americans trust Harris far more than Trump to handle climate change, and also express more confidence in Harris to handle the issue than they trusted Biden.
Americans connect extreme weather to climate change, and also to their pocketbook. Consistent with other polls, AP-NORC finds that the vast majority of Americans who report recent experiences with extreme weather say that climate change was a factor. Their poll also reinforces that extreme weather is emerging as a pocketbook issue for Americans, as many say that they’ve faced unanticipated expenses as a result of extreme weather and the vast majority say that extreme heat is impacting their electricity bills.
GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT
- [Clean Energy + Election] 68% of voters agree that the next president should continue investing in clean energy manufacturing [Climate Power + Data for Progress]
- [Climate Change + Election] 54% of voters agree that the next president should be someone with a record of addressing climate change who will prioritize climate action [Climate Power + Data for Progress]
- [Climate Impact] 64% of Americans recognize that climate change has had a negative impact on the country [AP-NORC]
- [Climate Action] 55% of Americans say that the U.S. government is doing too little to address climate change, while just 21% say that the government is doing too much [AP-NORC]
- [PFAS] 75% of voters support the new EPA standards to limit PFAS in drinking water [Data for Progress]
FULL ROUNDUP
Climate Power + Data for Progress – Voters widely approve of Kamala Harris’s record on climate and clean energy; standout accomplishments include cleaning up drinking water, taking on polluters, and passing clean energy legislation [Article, Harris/Trump Contrast Crosstabs, Harris Accomplishment Crosstabs]
Voters want the next president to keep investing in clean energy and to prioritize climate action. Roughly two-thirds of voters (68%) agree that the next president “should continue investing in clean energy manufacturing” and most also agree that the next president “should be someone with a record of addressing climate change who will prioritize climate action” (54%).
The idea that the next president should keep investing in clean energy spans partisan lines, with 86% of Democrats, 66% of independents, and 50% of Republicans all agreeing on this point.
Voters side more with Harris’s messaging on climate and energy issues than Trump’s, particularly when it comes to polluter accountability, energy jobs, and climate action. In a series of head-to-head message tests, Climate Power and Data for Progress find that voters are consistently more likely to side with Harris’s messaging on climate and clean energy issues than Trump’s.
Voters agree with Harris over Trump by double digits in the simulated debates below over polluter accountability, energy jobs, climate action, and energy costs.
Polluter Accountability: Kamala Harris says she supports holding oil and gas companies accountable for polluting our air and water vs. Donald Trump says he supports giving oil and gas companies tax breaks and rolling back pollution rules that hurt their business (Harris 58% / Trump 37%)
Energy Jobs: Kamala Harris says she plans to prioritize investing in high quality jobs with good, family-supporting wages in clean energy vs. Donald Trump says he plans to prioritize maintaining jobs in the oil and gas industry while rolling back spending in the clean energy sector (Harris 55% / Trump 40%)
Climate Action: Kamala Harris says that we must do more for the climate and oppose those leaders who deny climate science, delay climate action, and spread misinformation. She says it is urgent for us to face the challenges of climate change head on. vs. Donald Trump says that the radical left’s Green New Deal is a fake “Green New Scam” that will only lead to our destruction. He says the global warming hoax just never ends and that Kamala Harris will bring the death of American energy. (Harris 55% / Trump 41%)
Energy Costs: Kamala Harris says she supports plans to lower energy costs for average Americans and produce more clean energy here at home, rather than giving tax breaks to oil and gas companies vs. Donald Trump says he plans to prioritize lowering energy costs by expanding oil and gas drilling on public lands (Harris 53% / Trump 43%)
Voters overwhelmingly support Harris’s record on environmental issues, and respond particularly well to her actions to clean up drinking water, take on polluters, and pass job-creating clean energy legislation. Large majorities approve of all of Harris’s climate and clean energy accomplishments that were tested in the poll, with more than two-thirds approving of the following actions:
- -Supporting strengthening the Clean Air and Water Acts, passing a law to replace 100% of lead pipes, and announcing the first- ever limits on cancer-causing “forever chemicals” to protect drinking water (72% support, including 46% who “strongly” support this)
- -Taking an oil company to court for potential criminal violations after an oil pipeline spill poisoned coastal waters (69% support, 44% “strongly”)
- -Passing a clean energy plan that has created over 300,000 new good-paying jobs across the U.S., the majority of which don’t require a college degree (68% support, 45% “strongly”)
Clear majorities also approve of actions taken by Harris on air pollution, justice, clean energy, and Big Oil accountability. These include:
- -Supporting legislation that would limit air pollution from vehicles and power plants and ensure communities have clean air to breathe (66% support, 41% “strongly”)
- -Implementing a national plan to support marginalized communities that have been polluted by the oil and gas industry, including a $600 million grant to fund environmental justice projects across the country (65% support, 37% “strongly”)
- -Passing the most ambitious climate and clean energy plan in U.S. history to triple the production of clean energy, cut carbon pollution by up to 41% by 2030, and save Americans up to $38 billion in electricity costs (64% support, 41% “strongly”)
- -Leading an investigation into Exxon for its actions to mislead the American public about its awareness of and role in worsening climate change (61% support, 40% “strongly”)
- -Opposing plans by MAGA Republicans to gut protections for clean air and water and repeal clean energy investments (58% support, 39% “strongly”)
AP-NORC – Nearly two-thirds of Americans say that climate change is negatively impacting the country, and four in five say that they’ve personally been impacted by severe weather [Article, Topline]
Americans widely agree that climate change is negatively impacting the country. More than three in five say that climate change has had a negative impact on the world (66%) and on the United States (64%). Meanwhile, two in five (40%) say that climate change has had a negative impact on them personally.
Americans continue to say that the country is doing too little to address climate change. Polls consistently show that Americans want more climate action by the federal government, while relatively few are concerned about the country going “too far” in addressing the problem.
Here, AP-NORC finds that the majority of Americans (55%) say that the federal government is doing too little to address climate change. Around one-quarter (23%) say that the country is doing “about the right amount” to address it, while only around one-fifth (21%) say that the country is doing too much on the issue.
While Democrats are by far the most likely to say that the country is doing too little about climate change (78%), it’s notable that the majority of independents (58%) also say that the country isn’t doing enough on the issue. Additionally, less than half of Republicans (41%) say that the country is doing “too much” – indicating that everyday Republican voters aren’t on board with Trump’s vows to repeal climate and clean energy programs if elected.
The vast majority of Americans report personal experience with extreme weather, with heat waves the most common example. Around four in five Americans (81%) say that they’ve been impacted by at least one type of severe weather event in the past five years, with extremely hot weather (71%) being the most widely shared experience.
After extreme heat, Americans nationwide are most likely to say that they have been impacted by severe cold weather (34%), major droughts (31%), and hurricanes (26%). Responses on this type of question naturally vary quite a bit by geography, though other recent polling shows that extreme heat is by far the most commonly reported form of extreme weather across regions this summer.
Most Americans say that extreme weather is costing them financially. Nearly seven in ten Americans (69%) say that extreme heat has had an impact on their electricity bills over the past year, including 39% who say that it’s had a “major” impact on their bills.
Further, more than two in five (43%) say that they’ve had “unexpected” utility expenses as a result of extreme weather.
Those who experience extreme weather overwhelmingly say that climate change is a factor. Of the 81% who say that they’ve been affected by an extreme weather event in the past five years, more than two-thirds (69%) say that climate change was a cause.
Notably, polls consistently show that Americans who report experiences with extreme weather are more concerned about climate change and more supportive of climate action – even after controlling for other factors such as partisanship.
Americans have far more trust in Harris than Trump to handle climate change. Most Americans (53%) say that they have at least “some” trust in Harris when it comes to addressing climate change, which is 22 points higher than Trump (31%) and even six points higher than Biden (47%).
Pew – Support for nuclear power has been steadily increasing over the past several years, and the majority of Americans now say that the country should expand its use [Article]
Rising support for nuclear energy is one of the clearest trends in Americans’ energy attitudes. More than half of Americans (56%) now say that they favor building more nuclear power plants, which represents a 13-point increase since 2020 (43%) in Pew’s polling.
Similarly, Gallup found last year that support for nuclear energy was at its highest point in a decade.
Nuclear energy is less politically polarizing than other energy sources. While solar and wind remain the only energy sources that bipartisan majorities support expanding, the gap between Democratic and Republican support for nuclear energy is less than for any other energy source tested by Pew.
Below are the differences between Democrats’ and Republicans’ support for expanding different energy sources, ranked from smallest to largest:
- -Nuclear power plants – 18 points (67% of Republicans and 49% of Democrats)
- -Solar panel farms – 27 points (91% of Democrats and 64% of Republicans)
- -Wind turbine farms – 32 points (88% of Democrats and 56% of Republicans)
- -Hydraulic fracking – 45 points (68% of Republicans and 23% of Democrats)
- -Offshore oil and gas drilling – 47 points (73% of Republicans and 26% of Democrats)
- -Coal mining – 48 points (64% of Republicans and 16% of Democrats)
Data for Progress – Voters haven’t heard much about PFAS, but express deep concerns after learning about them; voters are particularly concerned about PFAS exposure through drinking water, and overwhelmingly support new EPA standards to limit it [Article, Crosstabs]
Voters have a low baseline of knowledge about PFAS. Most voters (71%) say that they haven’t heard anything at all about PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and half (50%) also say that they’ve heard nothing about the term “forever chemicals.”
Accordingly, any public-focused communication or organizing on the issue should start with basic education about these chemicals and their harms.
In response to basic information about PFAS, voters have deep concerns about their exposure. The poll provided respondents with a short explanation of PFAS chemicals:
“Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS or ‘forever chemicals,’ are a class of more than 15,000 man-made chemicals that repel water, grease, and stains and are commonly used in food packaging, personal care products, cookware, clothing, and more. Recent research demonstrates PFAS can persist in human bodies and the environment for decades, and have contaminated drinking water sources across the country.”
Following this description and additional information about PFAS contamination in food, the high incidence of PFAS exposure in the population, and the health risks of PFAS exposure, more than four in five voters (83%) say that they’re concerned about long-term exposure to PFAS and half (51%) are “very” concerned about it.
Voters are particularly concerned about PFAS contamination in drinking water, and overwhelmingly support the EPA’s new drinking water standards to limit PFAS in the water supply. When asked to choose the two routes of PFAS exposure that concern them most, voters express the most concern about drinking water (69%) and direct food or food packaging exposure (56%). Relatively fewer say that they are most concerned about PFAS exposure through other routes such as household and commercial products (18%) or personal care products (11%).
And after reading that the EPA passed new rules this year to limit PFAS in drinking water, three-quarters (75%) support the new rules and half (50%) support them “strongly.” These new drinking water standards are supported by overwhelming majorities across party lines, including 77% of Democrats, 76% of independents, and 71% of Republicans.
Related Resources
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