Environmental Polling Roundup – January 23, 2026
Headlines
Data for Progress – Voters want energy projects to be able to move faster, but are split on whether the process should be quicker for all energy projects or only for clean energy like wind and solar [Article, Crosstabs]
The Economist + YouGov – Americans continue to say that the U.S. shouldn’t take Venezuela’s oil [Topline, Crosstabs]
Pew – Despite recent partisan divisions, large majorities of Americans across party lines put trust in scientists [Website, Full Report, Topline]
Key Takeaways
Republicans still trust scientists, just not as much as Democrats do. While Americans’ declining trust in science is a real and worrying phenomenon, it’s important to keep it in perspective.
New data from Pew shows that around three-quarters of Americans, including about two-thirds of Republicans, trust scientists to act in the best interests of the public. Their tracking data shows that Americans’ confidence in scientists dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily because of a large drop among Republicans. Since then, however, public trust in scientists to act in the public interest has stabilized (albeit at a lower level than before the pandemic).
Pew further finds that scientists and the military rank as the most trusted authorities in public life (well ahead of business leaders, politicians, and the media). Yale and GMU have also found that climate scientists remain one of the most trusted sources of information about global warming, including among Republicans.
The best messengers on climate and environmental issues are often not experts at all but rather relatable, everyday people who have been impacted by environmental problems or who have benefitted from pro-environmental policies and can speak to their own personal experiences. However, as this recent data from Pew reaffirms, scientists remain critical and widely trusted validators.
Opponents of permitting reform need to recognize and counter the power of pro-reform arguments. Data for Progress finds that voters widely support measures to speed up big energy projects, though they have mixed attitudes about whether expedited processes should be allowed for all energy projects or only for clean energy.
And while permitting reform is a nuanced issue in the environmental advocacy community, nuance does not go far in the court of public opinion. “We need more energy right now and we should build things faster” is a compelling message and permitting reform has always had inherent appeal in public polling.
Because of this, it’s incumbent on environmental advocates to show how fossil fuel-first permitting reform proposals (like the version of the SPEED Act that passed the U.S. House) are designed more to benefit corporate special interests than the American people.
Specifically, advocates should make clear how these types of proposals:
- Are yet another giveaway to oil and gas companies by the politicians that they have bought off in Washington
- Put the interests of oil and gas companies, which are already earning record profits, ahead of everyday Americans who are struggling to pay their bills
- Double down on the Trump administration’s plan to prioritize oil and gas over cheaper, cleaner energy sources when the American public prefers the opposite approach
Good Data Points to Highlight
[Clean Energy] 72% of voters support the federal government taking a more active role in developing clean energy projects in their area [Data for Progress]
[Venezuela + Oil] Americans oppose the U.S. taking Venezuela’s oil by a greater than two-to-one margin (25% yes / 56% no) [The Economist + YouGov]
Full Roundup
Data for Progress – Voters want energy projects to be able to move faster, but are split on whether the process should be quicker for all energy projects or only for clean energy like wind and solar [Article, Crosstabs]
Voters want more federal investment in infrastructure and clean energy projects. Data for Progress asked voters how they feel about current levels of federal investment in different priorities, finding that clean energy is one of the areas where voters would rather increase than decrease investment.
Below are the priorities that majorities or pluralities of voters say that the federal government is not investing enough in:
- Housing (62% not enough / 6% too much)
- Infrastructure projects, such as upgrading existing bridges and expanding the electric power grid (60% not enough / 6% too much)
- Transportation networks, including high-speed railways (50% not enough / 13% too much)
- Clean energy projects, like solar, wind, and nuclear power (46% not enough / 21% too much)
Meanwhile, pluralities of voters say that the federal government is investing too much in electric vehicles and EV charging stations (24% not enough / 38% too much) and in A.I. and data centers (16% not enough / 38% too much).
Electric vehicles remain one of the most politically polarizing topics in polling on energy and environmental issues, as a plurality of Democrats (36%) say that the U.S. is investing too little in EVs and EV infrastructure while the majority of Republicans (56%) say that the country is investing too much in them.
Voters narrowly prefer permitting reform that speeds up clean energy specifically over permitting reform that is technology-neutral. After informing voters that the federal government is “considering different policies that may make it faster to undergo the review and approval processes for different types of energy projects,” Data for Progress finds that voters prefer a narrower version of permitting reform that would expedite clean energy but not fossil fuels:
- The government should speed up these processes only for renewable energy projects like wind and solar, but not for fossil fuel energy projects like oil and gas – 43% agree most with this approach
- The government should speed up these processes for all types of energy projects – 38%
- The government should not speed up these processes for any type of energy projects – 12%
While the poll didn’t ask directly about an alternative approach that would do more to expedite fossil fuel projects than clean energy projects (such as the version of the SPEED Act that passed the U.S. House), voters’ responses here suggest that they would have strong reservations about any fossil fuel-first approach to permitting reform.
Americans are divided on whether increasing government capacity or reducing regulations is the better approach to speed up new clean energy projects. When asked to choose between these two options to speed up development of new clean energy projects like solar farms or battery storage projects, voters are split evenly:
- Our government should prioritize increasing capacity by hiring new staff and making improvements to permitting and environmental review processes – 46%
- Our government should prioritize cutting red tape and making permitting and environmental review processes more efficient – 44%
Voters widely support federal action to grow the clean energy industry in their own communities. When asked about various types of industries that the federal government could help to grow in their community, seven in ten voters (72%) say that they would support a more active role from the government to help their area’s clean energy industry. A large majority (81%) also support the government getting more involved in local infrastructure projects, such as grid expansion:
- Infrastructure projects, such as upgrading existing bridges or expanding the electric power grid – 81% support a more active role by the federal government
- Housing – 80%
- Transportation networks, including high-speed railways – 74%
- Clean energy projects, like solar, wind, and nuclear power – 72%
- Manufacturing facilities for new technologies, like advanced silicon chips or batteries – 67%
- Electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations – 50%
- Artificial intelligence and data centers – 48%
The Economist + YouGov – Americans continue to say that the U.S. shouldn’t take Venezuela’s oil [Topline, Crosstabs]
Only one-quarter of Americans say that the U.S. should take Venezuela’s oil. The idea of the U.S. taking over Venezuela’s oil supply has been consistently unpopular, and The Economist and YouGov find that once again this week as Americans oppose the idea by a greater than two-to-one margin (25% yes / 56% no).
Even among Republicans, only around half (51%) support the U.S. taking the country’s oil as Americans of all political stripes remain wary of a deeper entanglement in Venezuela.
Pew – Despite recent partisan divisions, large majorities of Americans across party lines put trust in scientists [Website, Full Report, Topline]
Americans continue to trust scientists, despite recent dips among Republicans. Pew finds that around three-quarters of Americans (77%) say that they trust scientists at least “a fair amount” to act in the best interests of the public. This includes nine in ten Democrats (90%) and around two-thirds of Republicans (65%).
The COVID-19 pandemic was a clear flashpoint for Republicans’ views about scientific authorities. Pew found that trust in scientists dropped by 10 points among U.S. adults between April 2020 (87%) and December 2021 (77%), largely due to a 22-point drop in trust among Republicans (from 85% to 63%). Since then, trust in scientists has stabilized (but not recovered to its previous levels) among the population overall and among Republicans.
Democrats, meanwhile, have been very consistent in the amount of confidence that they place in scientists. Around 90% of Democrats have said that they trust scientists “at least a fair amount” in Pew surveys conducted before, during, and after the pandemic.
Scientists and the military earn far more trust than most other groups in public life–including journalists, business leaders, and elected officials. For comparison, below are the percentages of Americans who say that they trust each group at least “a fair amount” to act in the public’s best interests:
- Scientists – 77%
- The military – 75%
- Police officers – 70%
- Public school principals – 70%
- Religious leaders – 57%
- Journalists – 47%
- Business leaders – 37%
- Elected officials – 27%
Americans across party lines feel strongly about the importance of U.S. leadership in science. Most Americans (57%), including majorities of Democrats (63%) and Republicans (54%), say that it’s “very important” for the U.S. to be a world leader in scientific achievements.
A bipartisan majority believe that government investments in science are worthwhile, though Republicans have relatively more trust that the private sector can achieve scientific progress without government support. More than four in five Americans (84%) say that government investments in scientific research are usually worthwhile investments for society over time. This sentiment is shared by more than nine in ten Democrats (93%) and three-quarters of Republicans (76%).
Additionally, Americans are considerably more likely to agree that government investment in research is essential for scientific progress (61%) than to agree with a competing statement that private investment alone will ensure enough scientific progress is made (37%). While the large majority of Democrats (79%) view government investment in science as “essential,” a slight majority of Republicans (54%) side more with the notion that private investment alone can achieve sufficient scientific progress.
Related Resources
Environmental Polling Roundup – August 6th, 2021
This post includes a roundup of climate + environment headlines from this week’s public polls, good data points to highlight, and a full roundup including key takeaways from each poll.
Environmental Polling Roundup – August 23rd, 2021
This post includes a roundup of climate + environment headlines from this week’s public polls, good data points to highlight, and a full roundup including key takeaways from each poll.
Environmental Polling Roundup – August 27th, 2021
This post includes a roundup of climate + environment headlines from this week’s public polls, good data points to highlight, and a full roundup including key takeaways from each poll.