Environmental Polling Roundup – December 15, 2023
HEADLINES
CNN + SRSS – Americans widely back President Biden’s goal to cut climate pollution in half by the end of the decade; among possible climate actions, Americans particularly prioritize energy efficiency and the development of clean energy [Article, Topline + Crosstabs]
Yale + GMU – A growing majority of Americans are “Alarmed” or “Concerned” about global warming [Article]
Fossil Free Media + Data for Progress – Nearly two-thirds of voters support legislation to make polluters pay for climate damages [Article, Crosstabs]
[Youth] CIRCLE – Young people who feel threatened by climate change and want government action are highly motivated to vote [Website, Report]
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The public is on board with the goal of cutting U.S. climate pollution in half by 2030. New polling by CNN and SRSS finds that nearly three-quarters of Americans, including half of Republicans, support designing federal climate policy around President Biden’s stated goal of cutting U.S. climate pollution by 50% by 2030.
- “Polluters pay” continues to resonate as a common-sense climate solution. The idea of making polluters pay for their damages is one of the most consistently popular concepts in environmental polling, and new polling from Fossil Free Media and Data for Progress finds that the clear majority of voters support federal legislation that will hold climate polluters accountable. Additionally, voters are prepared to reward political candidates who make it a focus: the majority of voters say that they are more likely to vote for a candidate who prioritizes “polluters pay” legislation.
GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT
- [Climate Action] 73% of Americans agree that the federal government should design its climate policies to meet the announced goal of cutting the country’s greenhouse gas emissions in half by the year 2030 [CNN + SRSS]
- [Climate Action + Clean Energy] 71% of Americans say that prioritizing investments in clean energy sources over energy from fossil fuels should be a “top” or “important” priority for the government [CNN + SRSS]
- [Climate Action + Energy Efficiency] 71% of Americans say that offering federal tax credits for purchasing and installing ultra-efficient home heating and cooling systems should be a “top” or “important” priority for the government [CNN + SRSS]
- [Climate Action] 58% of Americans say that the federal government is doing too little to try to reduce climate change [CNN + SRSS]
- [Climate Action] 58% of Americans say that the energy industry is doing too little to try to reduce climate change [CNN + SRSS]
- [Climate Concern] 63% of Americans are worried about the risks of climate change in their community [CNN + SRSS]
- [Polluter Accountability] 66% of voters support a bill that would require oil and gas companies to pay a share of the cost of climate damages caused by their pollution [Fossil Free Media + Data for Progress]
- [Polluter Accountability + Elections] 64% of voters are more likely to support a candidate for office who prioritizes requiring oil and gas companies to pay a share of the cost of climate damages caused by their pollution [Fossil Free Media + Data for Progress]
- [Issue Priority] More American say that climate change and the environment is the single “most important issue” to them than any other issue aside from inflation/prices, health care, and the economy/jobs [The Economist + YouGov]
FULL ROUNDUP
CNN + SRSS – Americans widely back President Biden’s goal to cut climate pollution in half by the end of the decade; among possible climate actions, Americans particularly prioritize energy efficiency and the development of clean energy [Article, Topline + Crosstabs]
The latest CNN/SRSS poll of U.S. adults finds that clear majorities of Americans are concerned about the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather, in their communities. Roughly three in five say that they are at least “somewhat” worried about the risks of climate change (63%) and the effects of extreme weather (58%) in the areas where they live.
Consistent with other public polling, CNN and SRSS additionally find that many Americans are feeling the impacts of extreme weather – and those who experience it are blaming it on climate change. Just over two in five (42%) say that their area has experienced extreme weather in the past year. And among this segment of Americans who self-report being impacted by extreme weather, nearly four in five (79%) say that climate change contributed to the extreme weather that they experienced.
When it comes to climate action, the poll finds that there is broad and cross-partisan support for President Biden’s stated goal of cutting U.S. climate pollution in half by 2030.
While they didn’t attribute the goal to Biden personally, the poll informed respondents that “the U.S. has announced a goal to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions in half by the year 2030, which is in line with what climate scientists say is necessary to prevent the planet’s temperature from warming past a crucial threshold.”
After learning this, nearly three-quarters of Americans (73%) agree that the U.S. should design its federal policies on climate change to meet the goal of cutting climate pollution in half by 2030 – including the vast majority of Democrats (95%), three in four independents (76%), and half of Republicans (50%).
And in terms of actions to meet that goal, Americans are particularly likely to prioritize investments in clean energy and energy efficiency. Majorities say that each of the following should be “top or “important” priorities for the government:
- Prioritizing investments in clean energy sources over energy from fossil fuels – 71% top/important priority, including 42% who say that it should be a “top” priority
- Offering federal tax credits for purchasing and installing ultra-efficient home heating and cooling systems – 71% top/important priority, 29% “top”
- Requiring that all electricity in the U.S. be produced using renewable sources like solar and wind by the year 2035 – 67% top/important priority, 34% “top”
- Offering federal tax credits for purchasing and installing home solar panels – 67% top/important priority, 26% “top”
- Offering federal tax credits for purchasing an electric vehicle – 54% top/important priority, 18% “top”
Democrats feel particularly strongly about prioritizing clean energy over fossil fuels, as the majority of Democrats (61%) say that this should be a “top” priority for the country.
Tax credits for home upgrades rank as the most appealing of these climate actions for Republicans, meanwhile, with most Republicans saying that tax credits for purchasing and installing ultra-efficient home heating and cooling systems (56%) and tax credits for purchasing and installing home solar panels (52%) should be “top” or “important” priorities for the federal government.
Yale + GMU – A growing majority of Americans are “Alarmed” or “Concerned” about global warming [Article]
The latest wave of Yale and GMU’s long-running “Global Warming’s Six Americas” segmentation study finds that there is a growing, climate-conscious majority of Americans who are either “Alarmed” or “Concerned” about the problem of climate change.
Pulling from the article linked above:
“In 2009, we identified Global Warming’s Six Americas – the Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive – which represent distinct climate opinion audiences within the American public.
The Alarmed are the most worried about global warming and the most likely to support and engage in pro-climate action. The Concerned are also worried about global warming, but they view it as a less serious threat and are less motivated to act. The Cautious are uncertain about global warming and are not very worried about it, so they are less motivated to take action. The Disengaged are disconnected from the issue and rarely hear about it. The Doubtful question whether global warming is happening or human-caused, and are among the least worried about it and motivated to act. The Dismissive reject the idea that global warming is happening and human-caused and do not believe it is a threat, so they are the most likely to oppose climate action.
…
Over the past ten years, the Alarmed have grown more than any other audience, nearly doubling in size from 15% in 2013 to 28% in 2023 (+13 percentage points). Conversely, the Cautious have decreased in size the most during that time, from 26% in 2013 to 15% in 2023 (-11 percentage points). Additionally, the percentage of Americans who are either Alarmed or Concerned has increased from 40% in 2013 to 56% in 2023 (+16 percentage points). The Disengaged and Dismissive audiences have remained relatively similar in size over the last decade.”
Fossil Free Media + Data for Progress – Nearly two-thirds of voters support legislation to make polluters pay for climate damages [Article, Crosstabs]
The idea of making polluters pay for their damages is one of the most consistently popular concepts in environmental polling, and this new poll from Fossil Free Media and Data for Progress affirms that voters want federal legislation that will hold climate polluters accountable.
Roughly three-quarters of voters (66% support / 26% oppose) support a bill that would require oil and gas companies to pay a share of the cost of climate damages caused by their pollution. This “polluters pay” legislation also attracts support from across the political spectrum, with nearly nine in ten Democrats (88%), three in five independents (61%), and close to half of Republicans (46%) in favor of it.
The poll additionally finds that there are clear electoral benefits for political candidates who make “polluters pay” legislation a priority. More than three in five voters (64%) say that they are more likely to support a candidate for office who will prioritize a policy to make oil and gas companies pay a share of the cost of climate damages caused by their pollution, including 89% of Democrats, 58% of independents, and 42% of Republicans.
[Youth] Tufts CIRCLE – Young people who feel threatened by climate change and want government action are highly motivated to vote [Website, Report]
One of the intriguing findings that was released last month from CIRCLE’s pre-2024 survey of young Americans aged 18-34 is that young people who prioritize climate change are particularly motivated to vote in 2024 relative to young people who prioritize other issues.
This new report on the poll, which was conducted with the support of Action for the Climate Emergency (ACE) and Climate Power, segments young people by their attitudes and feelings about climate change. This analysis finds that climate-focused youth (those who feel threatened by climate change and want government action) are the most likely to vote in 2024, the most likely to support a Democratic candidate, and the most likely to be encouraged rather than discouraged by hearing about government action on climate change.
Pulling additional findings from the “Highlights” section of the poll release:
“Untapped potential among the 4 in 10 youth who believe in their ability to have influence on the climate issue: The largest group of youth identified in our analysis (40%) do not currently report being directly affected by climate change, but believe they have the ability to have influence on this issue. However, they are participating in civic actions (both on climate and other issues) at lower rates than other youth. These youth are more likely to be Black, from lower income households, and younger.
A majority of youth (56%) do not identify as strongly Republican or strongly Democratic, and many are still undecided who they will vote for: Party affiliation and vote choice for two of the groups align with each of the two major parties. However, many unaffiliated youth were found across all groups, and in the two remaining groups that are not strongly Republican nor strongly Democratic, many youth are still undecided who they will vote for in the 2024 presidential election.
Youth who feel most threatened by climate change are satisfied with government action on the issue when they know about it; other youth, despite that knowledge, were not likely to be satisfied with it: Most youth who have a lot of information about the actions and policies of the U.S. federal government on climate were likely to be dissatisfied. However, among youth who feel most threatened by climate change, satisfaction was higher if they had more knowledge about government action.
Access to civic information and civic organizations matter: Multiple groups of youth feel threatened by climate change. Those who, despite being threatened, feel “they have the power to change things” had the highest rates of access to civic information from organizations and institutions (not just from people they know), and the highest rates of membership in civic organizations like local groups and social and political movements.
Potential to pull more youth into climate action and broader civic engagement: Not all young people who are affected by or concerned about climate change are taking action on the climate issue. But all groups of youth report wanting to engage in civic actions (on any issue) at greater rates than they are currently participating.”
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