Environmental Polling Roundup – March 13, 2026
Headlines
Reuters + Ipsos – Two-thirds of Americans expect gas prices in the U.S. to get worse over the next year as a result of U.S. military action in Iran [Article, Topline]
Quinnipiac – Majorities across party lines are worried about the impacts of the Iran conflict on oil and gasoline prices [Website, Release]
NBC News – Voters are pessimistic about A.I. and about both parties’ handling of the issue [Article, Topline]
[New England] Barr Foundation – Voters in New England, like the rest of the country, blame utility companies the most for rising electricity costs; renewables remain New England voters’ preferred energy sources despite confusion about their relative costs [Deck]
Key Takeaways
Gas prices are compounding Trump’s problems with affordability. A new NBC News poll finds that Trump is now 26 points underwater in his handling of inflation and the cost of living (36% approve / 62% disapprove). This represents a steep drop from a year ago, when NBC News measured his approval on the issue at -13 (42% approve / 55% disapprove).
Trump’s approval on affordability issues was declining even before the current spike in gas prices, and Americans expect the situation to get even worse from here: Ipsos and Reuters find that 67% of Americans believe that gas prices will increase over the next year as a result of the military action in Iran.
We’re likely to see new poll-backed messaging guidance soon for advocates who are looking to connect the affordability crisis with the United States’ reliance on fossil fuels. In the meantime, we recommend looking to this March 2022 polling deck that LCV and Climate Power released in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They found that the following statement about U.S. reliance on fossil fuels resonated with voters as the war started to roil global energy markets:
“We will continue to experience big spikes in gasoline prices and energy costs as long as we are dependent on oil, because oil supplies are unreliable, dictators like Vladimir Putin and countries like Saudi Arabia use oil as a political weapon, and oil company CEOs are focused on maximizing their profits.”
Americans are feeling pessimistic about A.I. As environmental advocates push for stronger policies to hold data centers accountable for their energy consumption, water use, and pollution, it’s worth taking a step back to look at how Americans are reacting to the technology that new data centers are meant to support.
NBC News finds that Americans are far more likely to view A.I. negatively than positively, with just 26% of voters holding a positive view of the technology, and voters say that the risks of A.I. outweigh the benefits by a 23-point margin. With voters still making up their minds about data centers, advocates can leverage skepticism about the A.I. industry more broadly to help mobilize local opposition to data centers and advocate for stronger regulations that protect consumers and the environment.
Full Roundup
Reuters + Ipsos – Two-thirds of Americans expect gas prices in the U.S. to get worse over the next year as a result of U.S. military action in Iran [Article, Topline]
Americans are expecting the Iran conflict to increase gas prices. Two-thirds of Americans (67%) believe that the conflict will make gas prices in the U.S. worse, compared to just 11% who believe that gas prices will get better as a result of the military action and 12% who believe that gas prices will stay about the same.
Even Republicans are more pessimistic than optimistic about gas prices. Large majorities of Democrats (85%) and independents (73%) say that they are expecting gas prices to get worse as a result of the conflict.
And even among Republicans, who largely approve of the military action overall, a plurality say that it will make gas prices worse (26% get better / 21% stay the same / 44% get worse).
Quinnipiac – Majorities across party lines are worried about the impacts of the Iran conflict on oil and gasoline prices [Website, Release]
Voters are deeply polarized over the U.S.’s involvement in Iran. Voters oppose the operation by a 13-point margin overall (40% support / 53% oppose), and Democrats and Republicans are essentially mirror images of each other with 85% of Republicans supporting the military action and 89% of Democrats opposing it.
Independent voters, meanwhile, oppose the operation by a roughly two-to-one margin (31% support / 60% oppose).
The large majority of voters are concerned that the conflict in Iran will increase oil and gasoline prices. Roughly three-quarters of voters (74%) are at least “somewhat” concerned that the U.S. military action against Iran will cause oil and gasoline prices to rise in the U.S., including nearly half (49%) who are “very” concerned about the impact on oil and gasoline prices.
And similar to what the Reuters-Ipsos poll found, even Republicans express concern about the impacts on gas prices despite their sky-high support for the action overall:
- All Voters – 74% concerned that oil and gas prices will rise, including 49% who are “very” concerned
- Democrats – 93% concerned, 72% “very”
- Independents – 79% concerned, 53% “very”
- Republicans – 52% concerned, 23% “very”
NBC News – Voters are pessimistic about A.I. and about both parties’ handling of the issue [Article, Topline]
Voters are feeling pessimistic about A.I. NBC News finds that only around one-quarter of voters (26%) have positive attitudes about artificial intelligence / A.I., compared to nearly half (46%) who feel negatively about it. An additional 27% of voters describe their feelings about the technology as neutral.
Further, voters say that the risks of A.I. outweigh the benefits by a 23-point margin (34% more benefits / 57% more risks).
More than other issues, voters say that neither party would do a good job dealing with A.I. Voters are closely split on which party would do a better job on A.I., with 19% trusting Democrats more on the issue and 20% trusting Republicans. However, around one-third (33%) believe that neither party would do a good job on the issue and one-quarter (24%) say that the parties would deal with it equally well.
For comparison, this question was asked as part of a battery with seven other issues. The percentage saying that neither party would do a good job was nearly twice as high for A.I. (33%) than for any of the other seven issues (with 17% saying that neither party would do a good job on health care.)
Additionally, due to the large numbers who don’t trust either party or don’t see a difference between them on the issue, A.I. was the weakest issue in the survey for both parties.
Below are the percentages who said that they trusted Democrats, Republicans, or neither party to address each issue in the survey:
- Dealing with health care – Democrats 48% / Republicans 28% / Neither 17%
- Protecting democracy – Democrats 47% / Republicans 36% / Neither 10%
- Protecting our constitutional rights – Democrats 46% / Republicans 39% / Neither 9%
- Dealing with the economy – Democrats 40% / Republicans 40% / Neither 12%
- Dealing with immigration – Democrats 34% / Republicans 46% / Neither 14%
- Dealing with border security – Democrats 26% / Republicans 53% / Neither 13%
- Dealing with crime – Democrats 25% / Republicans 47% / Neither 14%
- Dealing with artificial intelligence – Democrats 19% / Republicans 20% / Neither 33%
[New England] Barr Foundation – Voters in New England, like the rest of the country, blame utility companies the most for rising electricity costs; renewables remain New England voters’ preferred energy sources despite confusion about their relative costs [Deck]
New England voters widely report increases in their electricity bills. This survey of voters in the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) finds that seven in ten New England voters (72%) report recent increases in their electricity bills. This includes around four in ten (43%) who say that their electricity bills have increased “a lot.” And even before recent price increases, New Englanders were already paying some of the highest electricity rates in the country.
This regional data is in line with recent national polling by LCV and Climate Power, which found that 73% of voters nationwide say that their utility costs have increased in the past year.
Voters in New England pin the most blame for rising costs on utility companies’ greed. Much like the rest of the country, New England voters perceive a variety of reasons for rising utility costs but hold utility companies most directly responsible. Below are the percentages who rate various factors as either “major reasons” or “one of the top reasons” for increased electricity and heating costs:
- Utilities are charging higher rates in order to increase their profits – 71%
- More money is being used to fix and maintain decades-old natural gas equipment, and those costs are passed on to consumers – 50%
- There are greater costs for energy because of increasing extreme weather events, such as heat waves and damage from flooding and storms, over the past few years – 42%
- State government mandates to increase the use of wind and solar energy result in higher energy costs for consumers – 37%
- The cost of natural gas has gone up due to global demand and the U.S. buying less natural gas from Russia – 33%
As this data shows, voters don’t see clean energy as one of the main factors driving up costs but there is a substantial minority of New Englanders who hold so-called clean energy “mandates” at least partially responsible.
New England voters clearly prefer renewables over natural gas to generate their electricity. Solar and hydropower rank as the most well-liked energy sources in New England, followed by wind power. Meanwhile, less than half of voters in the state want to expand natural gas or nuclear power.
Below are the percentages who say that more electricity should be generated from various energy sources:
- Solar power – 73%
- Hydropower – 70%
- Wind power – 63%
- Natural gas – 47%
- Nuclear power – 46%
Less encouragingly, there are indications that New England voters’ support for clean energy has dropped in recent years. The Barr Foundation also asked about voters’ attitudes toward different energy sources in a June 2024 poll of the Southern New England states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island)
Comparing the more recent data in these states to the 2024 data, voters are less likely to support expanding solar, hydropower, and (especially) wind power than they were two years ago. Meanwhile, voters in these states have become modestly more amenable to expanding natural gas and nuclear power.
Below are the 2024->2026 shifts in support for expanding different energy sources in Southern New England:
- Solar power – 82%->75% (-7)
- Hydropower – 76%->68% (-8)
- Wind power – 76%->63% (-13)
- Natural gas – 42%->45% (+3)
- Nuclear power – 40%->47% (+7)
New Englanders have mixed opinions about whether clean energy is more affordable than fossil fuels for utility customers. Around one-third of voters in the region (33%) believe that it costs consumers more when utilities get energy from sources like wind and solar instead of natural gas and coal. Meanwhile, around one-quarter (25%) believe that solar and wind cost consumers less, one-fifth (20%) believe that they cost consumers the same as fossil fuel energy sources, and 22% admit that they aren’t sure.
Voters’ political affiliations are a major predictor of how they view the relative affordability of solar and wind: most Republicans in New England (53%) believe that solar and wind end up costing consumers more than gas and coal, while a plurality of Democrats (37%) believe that solar and wind are less expensive for ratepayers than fossil fuels.
New England voters support a range of policy proposals to address energy affordability–especially those that hold corporate actors more accountable. Voters in the region broadly support several different measures that their state could take to address energy costs, including increasing the supply of clean energy and taking measures to hold utility and data center companies more accountable.
On the other hand, voters also support reducing “the amount that utility customers pay on their utility bills for programs that support energy efficiency and clean energy programs.”
Below are the levels of support for various policy proposals:
- Require large energy users, like data centers, to pay for the expansion of the energy infrastructure and supply necessary to meet their energy needs – 83% say that their state should do this
- Have the government undertake a public outreach effort to increase awareness of and participation in the state’s clean energy programs – 76%
- Set a cap on the amount of profits utility companies can earn each year – 75%
- Reduce the amount that utility customers pay on their utility bills for programs that support energy efficiency and clean energy programs – 71%
- Require utility companies to generate more electricity and energy from clean energy sources like wind and solar rather than natural gas and coal – 71%
- Import more clean energy from other regions of the United States and from Canada to New England – 63%
- Have the state government take loans to help pay for building and maintaining energy equipment and infrastructure – 40%
There is particular intensity behind proposals to require large energy users like data centers to pay for their own energy infrastructure and supply (with 62% saying that their state should “definitely” do this) and to set a cap on the amount of profits utility companies can earn each year (55% “definitely”). More than any other energy affordability proposals in the poll, New Englanders say that their states should “definitely” pursue these accountability measures on companies.
These findings are consistent with national data that we’ve seen amid the recent affordability crisis, as voters are eager to address energy costs not just by increasing the supply of affordable energy to consumers but also by tightening regulations on the corporate actors that they hold responsible for the problem.
Related Resources
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