Environmental Polling Roundup – March 11th, 2022
HEADLINES
- Economist + YouGov – Americans are pessimistic about gas prices and expect prices to rise further with U.S. sanctions on Russia (Topline, Crosstabs)
- Quinnipiac – Most Americans say they “support a ban on Russian oil” even if it means higher gas prices (Release, including topline + crosstabs)
- Navigator – Even the voters who are most concerned about rising gas prices say they support sanctions on Russia (Release, Deck)
- Data for Progress – Bipartisan majorities support investments to make U.S. infrastructure more resilient to climate impacts (Release)
- National Parks Conservation Association – Majorities across the political spectrum back congressional action to protect national parks from climate impacts (Release)
GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT
- 88% of Americans understand that climate change is negatively impacting national parks [NPCA]
- 83% of Americans would be more likely to support their representative in Congress if their representative supported a bill that was designed to reduce the impact of climate change on national parks [NPCA]
- 81% of voters support government investments to make U.S. infrastructure better able to withstand extreme weather and natural disasters [Data for Progress]
- More Americans say that climate change and the environment is the single most important issue to them than any other issue besides health care and the economy [Economist/YouGov]
FULL ROUNDUP
Economist + YouGov
Americans are pessimistic about gas prices and expect prices to rise further with U.S. sanctions on Russia (Topline, Crosstabs)
The latest national tracking poll from The Economist and YouGov finds that the clear majority of Americans (61%) expect gas prices to be higher six months from now, while just 15% expect gas prices to stay the same and only 12% expect prices to go down.
Americans aren’t quite as pessimistic about inflation, as just under half (49%) expect a higher rate of inflation six months from now – which shows that the public sees some distinction between the current spike in gas prices and broader economic trends like inflation.
The poll also finds that Americans clearly believe that the war in Ukraine and related sanctions on Russia are driving up prices at the pump – though the public still broadly approves of those sanctions. Around two-thirds (66%) approve of the U.S. government’s economic sanctions on Russia, including nearly half (46%) who “strongly” approve of the sanctions, even as the majority of Americans (54%) believe that U.S. sanctions on Russia are “very” likely to cause gas prices to rise in the United States.
The indications thus far are that Americans are willing to stomach the rise in gas prices for now, because they see it as a somewhat inevitable consequence of holding Russia accountable. This poll unfortunately didn’t ask about other possible reasons for the rise in gas prices, such as greed on the part of oil and gas companies who are using the war as a pretext to pad their profits and push for more drilling. However, our friends at the Combined Defense Project have compiled a lot of messaging resources to help climate advocates counter the fossil fuel industry’s current narrative about energy prices and the need to double down on dirty fuels. You can access that compilation document here.
Quinnipiac
Most Americans say they “support a ban on Russian oil” even if it means higher gas prices (Release, including topline + crosstabs)
The latest national poll from Quinnipiac further demonstrates how most Americans support economic sanctions against Russia despite the sanctions’ perceived impact on domestic gas prices: in the poll, 71% claim that they would “support a ban on Russian oil, if it meant higher gasoline prices in the United States.”
The ban has strong majority support across the political spectrum with 82% of Democrats, 70% of independents, and 66% of Republicans in favor of it.
Navigator
Even the voters who are most concerned about rising gas prices say they support sanctions on Russia (Release, Deck)
Navigator’s latest poll also finds that Americans support economic sanctions on Russia regardless of the perceived impact on gas prices, and support for the sanctions is high even among those who are most concerned about gas prices.
The poll measured overwhelming support (83% support / 10% oppose) for “initial economic sanctions on Russia as a way to discourage further military action against Ukraine,” even as the majority of voters (63%) say they are “very worried” about increased gas prices as a result of sanctions on Russia.
Additionally, within this segment of voters who are “very worried” that sanctions will increase gas prices, 86% say they support the sanctions.
Data for Progress
Bipartisan majorities support investments to make U.S. infrastructure more resilient to climate impacts (Release)
Data for Progress conducted this nationwide poll on the heels of the latest IPCC report, which detailed how current climate impacts are more severe than scientists previously believed.
The poll finds overwhelming, bipartisan support for government investments to make U.S. infrastructure “better able to withstand extreme weather and natural disasters.” These investments are supported by 81% of voters, including large majorities of Democrats (89%), independents (83%), and Republicans (73%).
This new data supports a lot of previous polling that has shown that voters across the political spectrum consistently agree on the importance of investing in climate resilience, regardless of partisan differences in their attitudes about climate change more broadly. For example, polling released by Data for Progress and Priorities USA earlier this year found that weatherizing homes, buildings, and schools to withstand extreme weather and natural disasters was the most popular climate policy in the Build Back Better package.
National Parks Conservation Association
Majorities across the political spectrum back congressional action to protect national parks from climate impacts (Release)
The National Parks Conservation Association (NCPA) recently released some of the takeaways from a poll it conducted in late January, and the findings back up a common theme in polling about environmental issues: conservation of public lands is one of the environmental priorities with the broadest support across party lines.
The NCPA poll finds widespread agreement that climate change is a threat to national parks, with nearly nine in ten Americans (88%) – including 95% of Democrats, 88% of independents, and 80% of Republicans – saying that climate change is having a “negative impact on U.S. national parks.”
The NCPA poll further finds overwhelming support for congressional action to protect national parks in the face of the climate crisis. Over four in five Americans (83%) – including 93% of Democrats, 82% of independents, and 73% of Republicans – say they would be more likely to support their representative in Congress if their representative supported legislation that was designed to reduce the impact of climate change on U.S. national parks.
Related Resources
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