Environmental Polling Roundup – July 18, 2025
Headlines
The Economist + YouGov – Around two-thirds of Americans recognize that weather disasters are increasing globally, and most say that climate change played a role in recent floods; Americans continue to reject cuts to the EPA, NWS, and FEMA [Topline, Crosstabs]
CNN – Six in ten Americans oppose the reconciliation bill based on what they’ve heard so far; by a nearly two-to-one margin, Americans say that cuts to clean energy are more of a reason to oppose the bill than to support it [Article, Topline + Crosstabs]
Quinnipiac – Voters oppose the reconciliation bill by a 20-point margin, and continue to widely oppose the elimination of FEMA [Release + Topline]
Data for Progress – Voters across party lines overwhelmingly support OSHA’s proposed rule to protect workers from extreme heat, and bipartisan majorities also say that landlords should be required to provide air conditioning or indoor cooling in areas with extreme heat [Article, Crosstabs]
Key Takeaways
Despite partisan polarization, Americans recognize that climate change is a factor in extreme weather events–including recent flooding. The Economist and YouGov find that most Americans agree that climate change is increasing the frequency of weather disasters globally and is at least partially to blame for the extent of recent flooding in particular. However, Republicans stand apart from the rest of the country in their level of doubt about the connection: only around one-third of Republicans say that climate change played a role in the recent floods, and only about one in five Republicans say that global warming is causing an increase in extreme weather events more generally.
Even with this continued climate skepticism among Republicans, however, polls show that the link between climate change and extreme weather is becoming clearer to the public over time. Yale and George Mason, for example, have found that a gradually growing majority of Americans say that global warming is affecting weather in the United States. The share of Americans who report personally experiencing the effects of global warming has also increased in recent years, and now constitutes about half of the country.
All of this data shows that advocates are making inroads in connecting extreme weather to climate change in the public consciousness, and should continue to make that link clear–particularly when the impacts of climate change become less deniable in the forms of extreme heat and major disasters.
Americans already oppose cuts to clean energy, and advocates can point to rising summer electricity bills to drive home the personal consequences. Polls about the reconciliation bill, including new polling from CNN as well as recent polling by EDF Action, find that concerns about the bill’s energy policies are nearly as widespread as concerns about its impacts on health care and the national debt.
The idea that the country is shutting down energy projects of any kind–particularly wind and solar projects, which Americans back more than any other types of energy production–strikes Americans as especially misguided at a time when their electricity bills are going up. Raising awareness about these cuts to clean energy is particularly important right now, as electricity bills tend to spike in the summer and Americans will be looking around at who or what to blame.
Good Data Points to Highlight
- [Extreme Weather] 68% of Americans recognize that the frequency of major natural disasters globally has increased in recent decades [The Economist + YouGov]
- [Climate Change + Extreme Weather] 59% of Americans believe that climate change is at least “somewhat” responsible for the extent of recent flooding [The Economist + YouGov]
- [Climate Change + Extreme Weather] 54% of Americans believe that global warming has caused an increase in the number of natural disasters [The Economist + YouGov]
- [Climate Change] 57% of Americans recognize that the world’s climate is changing as a result of human activity [The Economist + YouGov]
- [Reconciliation Bill] 51% of Americans say that cutting clean energy incentives in favor of oil and gas is a reason to oppose the reconciliation bill, compared to just 26% who call it a reason to support the bill [CNN]
- [Extreme Heat] 87% of voters support OSHA’s proposed rule to protect workers from extreme heat [Data for Progress]
- [Extreme Heat] 76% of voters support requiring landlords in areas with extreme heat to provide renters with air conditioning or indoor cooling [Data for Progress]
- [NWS] Only 8% of Americans want the National Weather Service to be cut or eliminated, compared to 40% who want it expanded and 41% who say that it should be kept the same [The Economist + YouGov]
- [EPA] Only 22% of Americans want the EPA to be cut or eliminated, compared to 36% who want it expanded and 29% who say that it should be kept the same [The Economist + YouGov]
- [FEMA] Voters oppose shutting down FEMA by a greater than two-to-one margin (28% support / 64% oppose) [Quinnipiac]
Full Roundup
The Economist + YouGov – Around two-thirds of Americans recognize that weather disasters are increasing globally, and most say that climate change played a role in recent floods; Americans continue to reject cuts to the EPA, NWS, and FEMA [Topline, Crosstabs]
Americans widely recognize that the world is experiencing more weather disasters. Roughly two-thirds (68%) believe that the frequency of major natural disasters occurring globally has increased in recent decades, including close to half (45%) who say that the frequency of major natural disasters has increased “a lot.” Just 2% believe that the frequency of major natural disasters has decreased.
As the issue of climate change has become more politically polarized in recent years, polling has also shown deeply polarized attitudes around extreme weather. That is again the case here, as nearly nine in ten Democrats (88%) and two-thirds of independents (67%) but only around half of Republicans (48%) recognize that major weather disasters are becoming more frequent across the globe.
The majority of Americans agree that humans are causing climate change. Nearly three in five Americans (57%) believe that the world’s climate is changing as a result of human activity, while one-quarter (25%) say that the world’s climate is changing for other reasons and only 6% deny that the world’s climate is changing.
Again, we see deeply polarized attitudes as Democrats overwhelmingly recognize human-caused climate change (86%) and are joined by the majority of independents (59%). However, just one-quarter of Republicans (25%) acknowledge that the world’s climate is changing as a result of human activity while 47% of Republicans believe that the world’s climate is changing due to other causes.
Most Americans recognize that climate change is contributing to extreme weather, including recent flooding. Slightly more than half (54%) believe that global warming has caused an increase in the number of natural disasters, compared to just 27% who deny this connection and 19% who aren’t sure.
The idea that global warming is increasing the frequency of natural disasters is the clear consensus view among Democrats (89%) and also the majority view among independents (55%), though only around one in five Republicans (18%) express this belief.
When asked about recent flooding specifically, on the heels of the disaster in central Texas, roughly six in ten Americans (59%) believe that climate change was at least “somewhat” responsible for the extent of recent floods. This again includes the overwhelming majority of Democrats (87%) and most independents (58%), but only a minority faction of Republicans (32%).
Around half of Americans say that they have personally felt the effects of climate change, including far more Democrats than Republicans. Roughly half of the country (49%) acknowledges that they’ve been affected by the phenomenon, including around three-quarters of Democrats (73%) and the majority of independents (55%) but only one in five Republicans (20%).
Americans continue to prefer that the EPA, FEMA, and NWS be expanded rather than cut. There remains a very small constituency for the kinds of government cuts that the Trump administration is pursuing. Only 8% of Americans say that the National Weather Service should be reduced or eliminated, just 19% say that FEMA should be reduced or eliminated, and only 22% say that the EPA should be reduced or eliminated.
For each of these agencies, Americans are more likely to say that the agency should be expanded than downsized–including 40% who say that the NWS should be expanded, 36% who say that FEMA should be expanded, and 36% who want to expand the EPA.
And when asked directly about the proposal to abolish FEMA and make states responsible for disaster response, Americans oppose the idea by a 32-point margin (27% support / 59% oppose).
CNN – Six in ten Americans oppose the reconciliation bill based on what they’ve heard so far; by a nearly two-to-one margin, Americans say that cuts to clean energy are more of a reason to oppose the bill than to support it [Article, Topline + Crosstabs]
Most Americans have followed news about the reconciliation bill, and they oppose it by a wide margin when it’s described as “President Trump’s domestic policy and budget bill.” Roughly seven in ten (72%) say that they have followed news about Trump’s domestic policy and budget bill at least “somewhat” closely, including near-equal percentages of Democrats (75%) and Republicans (73%).
CNN also finds that Americans oppose the bill by a 22-point margin when it’s described as “President Trump’s domestic policy and budget bill, which was recently signed into law” (39% support / 61% oppose).
The crosstabs show two clear reasons for the bill’s unpopularity with the public. First, independents oppose the bill by a two-to-one margin (32% support / 67% oppose). Secondly, Democrats are much more consolidated in opposition to the bill (5% support / 95% oppose) than Republicans are aligned in favor of it (81% support / 19% oppose).
Out of seven major aspects of the bill that CNN asked about, Americans rate changes to energy policy as the second-best reason to oppose it. CNN asked whether seven different aspects of the reconciliation bill are “more of a reason to support the bill” or “more of a reason to oppose the bill.” By a nearly two-to-one margin, Americans say that the bill’s removal of incentives for clean energy and encouragement of oil and gas is more of a reason to oppose the legislation (51%) than to support it (26%).
Notably, these changes to energy policy rank only behind its addition to the budget deficit–and even ahead of its cuts to Medicaid and the social safety net–as a rationale for opposing the bill.
Below are the seven items that CNN included in the survey, along with the percentages who say that each is “more of a reason to support” and “more of a reason to oppose” the overall package:
- Changes it makes to tax laws, such as permanent extensions of the tax cuts passed in 2017, temporarily ending taxes on tips, and expanded tax breaks for seniors and parents – 54% reason to support / 25% reason to oppose
- It increases spending for border security, enforcement of immigration laws and detention of those charged with entering the country illegally – 46% reason to support / 38% reason to oppose
- It increases defense and military spending – 44% reason to support / 31% reason to oppose
- Changes it makes to social safety net programs, such as increased work requirements for recipients of benefits including Medicaid and food stamps and decreased federal spending on those benefits – 39% reason to support / 47% reason to oppose
- It removes incentives for the use of clean energy and encourages the use of oil and gas – 26% reason to support / 51% reason to oppose
- Donald Trump supports it – 20% reason to support / 38% reason to oppose
- The amount that it adds to the federal budget deficit – 13% reason to support / 58% reason to oppose
Quinnipiac – Voters oppose the reconciliation bill by a 20-point margin, and continue to widely oppose the elimination of FEMA [Release + Topline]
Voters oppose the reconciliation bill by a 20-point margin when it’s described as the “Republican tax and spending bill named One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Quinnipiac finds that 55% of voters oppose the bill when it’s described as “the Republican tax and spending bill named One Big Beautiful Bill Act [that] was passed by Congress and signed into law,” with just 35% in favor.
Similar to what CNN found in their survey of U.S. adults, Quinnipiac finds in this survey of registered voters that independents oppose the bill by a greater than two-to-one margin (27% support / 64% oppose) and that it draws more opposition from Democrats (3% support / 92% oppose) than support from Republicans (81% support / 9% oppose).
Voters oppose shutting down FEMA by a greater than two-to-one margin. Similar to what The Economist and YouGov found among U.S. adults, Quinnipiac finds that registered voters oppose Trump’s idea of shutting down the agency by a 36-point margin (28% support / 64% oppose).
Data for Progress – Voters across party lines overwhelmingly support OSHA’s proposed rule to protect workers from extreme heat, and bipartisan majorities also say that landlords should be required to provide air conditioning or indoor cooling in areas with extreme heat [Article, Crosstabs]
Voters overwhelmingly support OSHA’s proposed rule to protect workers from extreme heat. Nearly nine in ten voters support the proposal (87% support / 8% oppose) when provided with the following description:
“The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed a rule to protect workers from extreme heat. The rule would require employers to:
- Provide accessible drinking water
- Provide designated shaded or indoor break areas
- Have a protocol for new employees to gradually adjust to working in heat
- Use air conditioning or have air circulation indoors if temperatures reach 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
- Enforce mandatory rest breaks, buddy systems, or supervisor observations in heat above 90 degrees Fahrenheit
- Train employees on symptoms of heat illness and emergency protocols, in multiple languages”
Support for the proposed heat rule is intense and bipartisan. Voters of all partisan stripes back the proposal by wide margins, with 89% of Democrats, 87% of independents, and 87% of Republicans in favor of it.
Support is also intense among all of these groups: more than three in five voters (63%) strongly support the proposed rule, including 70% of Democrats, 62% of independents, and 58% of Republicans.
Voters across party lines also say that landlords should be required to provide air conditioning or indoor cooling for tenants in areas that face extreme heat. In addition to the proposed OSHA rule for workers, voters across party lines support new measures to protect tenants from extreme heat.
Around three-quarters of voters (76% support / 21% oppose) support requiring landlords “to provide renters with air conditioning or indoor cooling in areas that experience extreme heat events,” including more than half (53%) who strongly favor the idea. This support also spans the political spectrum, with 82% of Democrats, 74% of independents, and 71% of Republicans in favor of the proposal.
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