Environmental Polling Roundup – July 7, 2023
HEADLINES
Navigator – More voters report unusual weather in their area this year than at similar points in 2022 and 2021; voters widely back climate action, especially when it’s described as shifting toward clean energy rather than away from fossil fuels [Topline]
The Economist + YouGov – Most Americans continue to say that climate change is playing a role in the Canadian wildfires [Topline, Crosstabs]
[Latino Voters] Climate Power – Latino voters in key states are deeply concerned about the health effects of pollution [Memo]
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Advocates should continue to drive home the connection between climate change and the Canadian wildfires as, despite all the news coverage of the wildfires, the public still only has a vague notion about their connection to climate change. The Economist and YouGov find that most Americans believe climate change is at least “somewhat” responsible for the extent of recent wildfires, which is consistent with their earlier polling on the topic in mid-June. However, there is significant room to increase the majority who see the wildfires as linked to climate change (58%) and to increase the percentage of Americans who perceive a strong link between climate change and the recent wildfires (31% say that climate change is “entirely” or “mostly” responsible for the extent of recent wildfires). The Economist and YouGov additionally find that the percentage of Americans who say they’ve personally been impacted by climate change has increased slightly since mid-June, and high-salience events like the Canadian wildfires can be strong proof points to demonstrate the here-and-now, personal impacts of climate change.
- We need to explain the gains of climate action to the public. Navigator finds that voters are more inclined to support climate action when it is described as the country getting more energy from clean energy sources than when it is framed as the country getting less energy from fossil fuels. Polls consistently show that clean energy sources like solar and wind are the most well-liked energy sources in the country, so public-facing narratives about climate action should emphasize the popular forms of energy that we are moving toward rather than the forms of energy that we are shifting away from.
GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT
- [Climate Change + Clean Energy] 79% of voters support the United States using more clean energy like wind and solar power so that we can reduce the pollution that causes climate change [Navigator]
- [Climate Change] 68% of voters say that climate change is a serious problem for Americans today, including 40% who call it a “very serious” problem [Navigator]
- [Climate Change] 59% of Americans recognize that the world’s climate is changing as a result of human activity, compared to just 24% who say that the world’s climate is changing for other reasons and only 7% who deny that the world’s climate is changing [The Economist + YouGov]
- [Climate Change + Wildfires] 58% of Americans say that climate change is at least “somewhat” responsible for the extent of recent wildfires [The Economist + YouGov]
- [Climate Change + Personal Impacts] 50% of Americans say they have personally felt the effects of climate change, and an additional 10% say they haven’t been impacted yet but expect to be in the future [The Economist + YouGov]
- [Issue Priority] More Americans name climate change and the environment as 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
Navigator – More voters report unusual weather in their area this year than at similar points in 2022 and 2021; voters widely back climate action, especially when it’s described as shifting toward clean energy rather than away from fossil fuels [Topline]
This national voter survey fielded in mid-June finds that voters generally recognize the dangers of climate change and want action – particularly if that action involves boosting clean energy.
Voters say that the weather this summer is off to a stranger start than in previous summers. Just over half of voters (51%) say that the summer weather in their community has been different from the summers of years past, which is a larger proportion than Navigator found in July 2022 (45%) or July 2021 (47%).
Most voters also say that the weather globally this summer has been different from years past (55%), which is again higher than what Navigator found in July 2022 (50%) or July 2021 (53%).
While the survey didn’t ask directly about smoke from the Canadian wildfires, we know from other polling that a large percentage of Americans have felt direct impacts of the wildfire smoke and that this is likely driving at least some of the increased recognition of unusual weather this summer.
Most voters see climate change as a problem for the country today, and they feel more strongly that it will be a problem for future generations. Roughly two-thirds (68%) say that climate change is a serious problem for Americans today, including two-fifths (40%) who call it a “very serious” problem.
Meanwhile, seven in ten (70%) believe that climate change will become a serious problem for future generations of their family and nearly half (48%) believe it will be a “very serious” problem.
This is a common finding in polling about climate change, as Americans tend to believe that the greatest impacts of climate change will be felt by future generations rather than themselves personally. This makes it all the more important for advocates to stress how climate change is a here-and-now issue and to use events like the Canadian wildfires as proof of the day-to-day effects of climate change.
Voters are eager for climate action, especially when it’s framed as shifting to clean energy rather than away from fossil fuels. Navigator finds that nearly four-fifths of voters (79%) support the United States “using more clean energy like wind and solar power so we can reduce the pollution that causes climate change,” including more than half (52%) who strongly support the idea.
Voters also overwhelmingly support the idea of “using less fossil fuels like oil and gas so we can reduce the pollution that causes climate change “ (66% support, including 40% “strong” support), though not as widely or intensely as they support increasing the use of clean energy.
While we as advocates may interpret these two questions similarly because we know that the clean energy transition will require both more clean energy and less fossil fuel production, we can see here that a fairly subtle difference in framing – emphasizing that the country will be getting more clean energy and not just less energy from fossil fuels – can make a big difference in garnering public support for climate action.
The Economist + YouGov – Most Americans continue to say that climate change is playing a role in the Canadian wildfires [Topline, Crosstabs]
New polling data about the Canadian wildfires from The Economist and YouGov this week allows us to track how attitudes about the wildfires have shifted since The Economist and YouGov first asked about them in mid-June.
An increasing number of Americans say they’re personally being impacted by the wildfire smoke. More than two in five Americans (42%) say that air quality in their area is being affected by wildfires, a 10-point increase from mid-June (32%).
Americans are continuing to see extensive news coverage of the wildfires. Roughly two in five Americans (41%) say they’ve heard “a lot” about the Canadian wildfires in the news recently, which is about the same as in mid-June (40%). Nearly nine in ten (88%) say they’ve heard at least a “little” about the wildfires in the news.
Americans’ climate attitudes are steady, though the percentage who feel that they’ve personally felt the effects of climate change may be ticking up. The Economist and YouGov find that more than four in five Americans (83%) believe that the world’s climate is changing, including 59% who say that the world’s climate is changing as a result of human activity. This indicates little change since mid-June, when The Economist and YouGov found that 83% of Americans recognized climate change and 57% said that it was primarily human-caused.
Meanwhile, 50% of Americans now say that they’ve personally felt the impacts of climate change – a three-point increase from mid-June (47%).
Polls generally find that a little under half of Americans believe they’ve personally been impacted by climate change, so it would represent an important change if half or more continue to say that they’ve felt the effects.
Most Americans continue to say that climate change is at least partially responsible for the recent wildfires. About three in five Americans (58%) say that climate change is at least “somewhat” responsible for the extent of recent wildfires, including 30% who say that climate change is “mostly” or “entirely” responsible.
These figures have also changed little since mid-June, when The Economist and YouGov found that 60% of Americans held climate change at least “somewhat” responsible for the wildfires and 31% said that climate change was “mostly” or “entirely” responsible.
[Latino Voters] Climate Power – Latino voters in key states are deeply concerned about the health effects of pollution [Memo]
Climate Power surveyed Latino voters across six target states (AZ, CA, GA, NM, NV, & PA) and found that Latino voters in these states are widely concerned about pollution, support climate action, and oppose attempted rollbacks of climate investments by Congress.
One striking finding here is the depth of concern among Latino voters about pollution and its health risks: Climate Power finds that nearly half of Latino voters in these states are “very concerned” about water pollution (49%), air pollution (47%), and the impact of pollution on their health (49%)
Research by Gallup has relatedly found that contaminated drinking water is a widespread concern among Hispanic Americans and Black Americans.
Pulling additional findings from Climate Power’s poll memo:
“Economic and health issues related to the environment are a deep concern for Latino voters in target states. While the top-of-mind issues for Latinos center on economic concerns, climate change and the environment are prominent issues for Latinos in these states… When it comes to climate-specific concerns, Latinos in target states hold economic and health concerns, especially on the impact of pollution on their health (90% concerned), followed by water pollution (89% concerned), gas prices (89% concerned), and the current cost of electricity and other utility bills (89% concerned).
Latinos support a wide range of climate policies. An overwhelming majority of Latino voters support a bill that taxes big oil companies to pay for cleaner energy investments (76%) and would equally support increasing investments in renewable energy sources like wind and solar to replace non-renewable sources.
Promoting climate action and clean energy policies has a positive impact. Support for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has remained steady since its passage in 2022…Latinos are critical of measures that would roll back climate investments and have a much more unfavorable view of Congress members who support bills like HR1. This is especially evident in Arizona, California, and New Mexico… Respondents in New Mexico and Arizona held the strongest negative reaction toward politicians supporting anti-climate bills, while Pennsylvania and Georgia were more split on the topic, but still overall critical of such measures.”
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