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EPC Resource Library / Weekly Roundups

Environmental Polling Roundup – March 31, 2023

HEADLINES

KEY TAKEAWAYS

GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT

FULL ROUNDUP

HeatmapAmericans overwhelmingly want the U.S. to act on climate; the public views costs and corporate special interests as the biggest obstacles to action (Article, Topline)

This poll released to coincide with the launch of Heatmap, a new climate-focused media company, confirms that the public is widely concerned about climate change and its personal impacts:

Additionally, the poll finds that Americans are most eager for climate action from the United States compared to other global actors such as large corporations, the United Nations, and other countries

Nearly three-quarters say that it’s important for the United States to mitigate the effects of climate change (74%), including a majority (56%) who say it’s “very important” for the country to act on the problem. 

And while the public doesn’t believe that any other entities are quite as important as the United States in addressing the problem, around two-thirds of Americans also recognize that China (67% important, 48% “very” important), large corporations (67% important, 48% “very” important), and the United Nations (65% important, 46% “very” important”) have important roles to play in mitigating climate change.

When asked about potential barriers to finding “renewable and sustainable solutions to address climate change” in the United States, corporate special interests and the rising cost of living emerge as the biggest perceived barriers to climate action. Here are the percentages that rank each of the potential barriers in the survey as “extremely serious” problems:

It’s worth noting the relatively low ranking of oil and gas corporations on the list of perceived obstacles, especially compared to lobbyists/special interests and corporate influence in Washington. This finding suggests that it’s important to connect the dots for the public when holding oil and gas companies accountable on climate change and clearly explain how they’re blocking action: by buying power and influence in Washington with their lobbying and political donations so that they can keep polluting our air and water with no consequences.  

Fossil Free Media + Data for ProgressPresident Biden’s ratings on climate and the environment have slipped in recent months among Democrats and young voters; news about the Willow project drops his ratings among Democrats further, as voters – especially Democrats – don’t want to prioritize fossil fuel projects on public lands (Article, Crosstabs)

Drawing on national polls conducted in October 2022 and March 2023, Fossil Free Media and Data for Progress find that the Biden Administration’s approval on climate change and the environment continues to be underwater and is slipping among core constituencies.

Overall, the Biden administration’s rating on climate and the environment is about as negative now (39% approve / 47% disapprove, with 15% not sure) as it was in October (42% approve / 52% disapprove, with 6% not sure). 

Meanwhile, Biden’s ratings on climate and environmental issues have declined sharply among Democrats and young voters since late last year:

Additionally, the new March poll indicates that coverage of the Willow project could lead to an even larger drop in Biden’s standing on climate and the environment with Democrats – especially when the Willow decision is contrasted with Biden’s campaign promises on oil and gas drilling.

The poll finds that awareness of the Willow project is currently very low (only 23% of voters say they’ve heard at least “some” about it, including only 5% who have heard “a lot”), which suggests that the political impact of it hasn’t yet baked in.

Early on in the survey, respondents were asked to rate their approval of the Biden administration’s handling of climate and the environment. They were then shown the two sentences below before being asked a second time to rate their approval of the Biden administration on climate and the environment:

“During his presidential campaign, Joe Biden pledged to end oil and gas leasing on public lands. The Biden Administration recently approved the Willow project, a new oil and gas drilling field led by large oil company ConocoPhillips on public lands in the Alaskan Arctic.”

This information about Willow leads to a slight dip in Biden’s approval on climate and the environment overall – from an eight-point margin of disapproval on the first ask (39% approve / 47% disapprove) to a twelve-point margin of disapproval on the second ask (38% approve / 50% disapprove).

Among Democratic voters, meanwhile, the news about Willow causes a dramatic decline in Biden’s standing on climate and the environment. Democrats shift from a 48-point margin of approval on the first ask in the poll about Biden’s handling of climate and the environment (69% approve / 21% disapprove) to just a 15-point margin of approval after seeing the information about Willow (54% approve / 39% disapprove).

Voters widely prefer that the federal government prioritize “clean energy projects, like wind turbines and solar farms” (56%) when considering new energy projects on public lands over “new fossil fuel projects, like oil and gas drilling sites” (35%). This preference is particularly strong among the constituencies that Biden is bleeding support from on climate/environmental issues, including Democrats (77% of whom prefer clean energy projects over fossil fuel projects on public lands) and young voters aged 18-29 (68% of whom prefer clean energy projects).

Further, Biden’s original campaign proposal to end new leases for oil and gas drilling on America’s public lands attracts slightly more support (45%) than opposition (42%) among voters overall and is especially popular with Democrats (66% support / 19% oppose) and young voters aged 18-29 (57% support / 26% oppose).

Yale + GMUMany of the constituencies that have heard the least about the IRA are also the most inclined to support it if they learn about it (Article)

This new article from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC), drawing on findings from the December 2022 wave of Yale and George Mason’s “Climate Change in the American Mind Survey,” illuminates an important disconnect in public perceptions about the Inflation Reduction Act: in many cases, the audiences that are most inclined to support the IRA are the ones that are hearing the least about it.

Overall, 43% of voters say they have heard “a lot” or “some” about the Inflation Reduction Act and 68% say they support it after reading a brief description of it.

Several groups are both less likely than average to have heard about the IRA and widely supportive of it after being informed about the bill, making these audiences prime targets for communications about the IRA whether you’re looking to boost support for IRA policies or increase public awareness about IRA incentives. These low-information / high-support audiences include:

Data for ProgressVoters are widely concerned about the environmental impacts of plastic pollution and support a range of policy proposals to reduce single-use plastics and increase plastic recycling (Article, Crosstabs)

Polls consistently find that the overwhelming majority of Americans are concerned about plastic pollution, especially the harm it does to oceans.

Data for Progress affirms that finding here and additionally finds that, while voters recognize that the plastics industry naturally has the biggest role to play in addressing the problem, voters also see a large role for individuals like themselves in helping to reduce plastic waste:

Encouragingly, most voters say that they are already taking personal actions to reduce plastic pollution. These common actions include:

Data for Progress further finds that voters overwhelmingly support a range of proposals to reduce plastic pollution:

Additionally, depending on how it’s described, 77%-78% support the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act to reduce the amount of wasteful plastic produced and reform the waste and recycling systems.

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