Environmental Polling Roundup – May 8, 2026
Headlines
Washington Post + ABC News + Ipsos – Many Americans say that they’re changing driving and spending behaviors in response to gas prices, but relatively few say that higher gas prices have caused them to consider an EV [Article, Topline + Crosstabs]
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) + Partners – Simple messages significantly increase public understanding that climate change is making extreme weather more likely [Release, Open Access Article]
[NJ] Stockton University – Most New Jersey voters support a data center ban in their town, though they’re open to the state encouraging data center development as long as it comes with strict regulation [Release, Topline Results]
[MI] Progress Michigan – Michigan residents across party lines strongly support new transparency laws for data centers [Release]
Key Takeaways
Data center regulation is a bipartisan issue. Polls have shown a sharp decrease in support for data centers nationwide over the past year, as Americans have become more aware of data centers and their negative impacts and have also become increasingly concerned about the AI boom in general. This data is also borne out on the ground, as local opposition to data centers is spurring unlikely, cross-partisan alliances across the country.
And in Michigan, where a new OpenAI/Oracle “hyperscale” data center is proceeding despite local government opposition, new polling by Progress Michigan finds overwhelming and bipartisan support in the state for new transparency laws that would require data centers that receive state tax breaks to publicly disclose details such as water and energy usage, infrastructure costs, and job creation commitments.
Don’t assume that your audience understands the link between climate change and extreme weather, as a little explanation goes a long way. Researchers at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) and partner institutions find that brief statements clarifying the link between climate change and extreme weather significantly increase Americans’ beliefs about the connection between them. Their research also shows beneficial “spillover” effects, as communicating about the link between climate change and one type of extreme weather (e.g., heat waves) impacts beliefs that climate change increases other types of extreme weather as well.
These findings are particularly relevant and actionable as the weather warms up: the hot summer months tend to make Americans more climate-conscious, as extreme heat has one of the more intuitive links to climate change. However, advocates shouldn’t assume that the connection is immediate or top-of-mind. This new research indicates that simple communication about how climate change leads to extreme heat can both reinforce the link in people’s minds and also prime them to be more cognizant of other climate impacts as well.
Full Roundup
Washington Post + ABC News + Ipsos – Many Americans say that they’re changing driving and spending behaviors in response to gas prices, but relatively few say that higher gas prices have caused them to consider an EV [Article, Topline + Crosstabs]
Americans see little sign that the situation with gas prices is improving. Only around one in five (21%) believe that gas prices in the U.S. will get better over the next year, while half (50%) expect prices to continue to get worse.
What little optimism there is on the issue is driven almost entirely by Republicans. Close to half of Republicans (47%) say that they expect gas prices to get better, compared to just 13% of independents and 6% of Democrats.
The high costs of gas and other expenses are dragging Trump to his lowest approval numbers yet. The poll further finds that 72% of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling inflation, which represents a seven-point increase in his disapproval on the issue over the past two months.
Trump’s ratings on the economy (34% approve / 65% disapprove) and on his overall job performance (37% approve / 62% disapprove) are also the worst they’ve ever been in the Washington Post’s tracking going back to his first term.
Americans are changing driving and spending behaviors in response to high gas prices, but few say that they are considering EVs. More than two in five Americans say that they’ve cut back on driving and cut household expenses in response to high gas prices, though relatively few say that they’ve considered buying an electric vehicle due to the spike in fuel costs:
- Cut back on driving – 44% say that they’ve done this because of high gas prices
- Cut household expenses – 42%
- Changed travel or vacation plans – 34%
- Considered buying an electric vehicle – 15%
It’s worth noting that people want expedient solutions in response to cost of living crises. At a time when routine expenses like gas prices and groceries are crowding out their household budgets, it stands to reason that Americans don’t see a major purchase as the solution–even if they think that an electric vehicle would yield financial savings in the long-term.
A recent article at Inside EVs also helps to explain why EV sales are now surging in markets like Europe, Asia, and Australia but lagging in the U.S. Consumers in these overseas markets typically benefit from government incentives for EV purchases and also have access to lower-cost Chinese models. In the U.S., meanwhile, automakers have scaled back EV production since the Trump administration and Congress repealed incentives that made EVs more attainable for consumers.
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) + Partners – Simple messages significantly increase public understanding that climate change is making extreme weather more likely [Release, Open Access Article]
Simple, clear explanations of the link between climate change and extreme weather significantly increases beliefs about the connection between them. Pulling from YPCCC’s release about the findings from their new study:
“Building on our previous research in the US, we tested simple messages using Climate Central’s Climate Shift Index (CSI), which calculates how much more likely climate change made an extreme weather event. We tested the effects of the same information expressed in two different ways: in terms of magnitude (‘climate change made heat waves three times more likely’) or in equivalent terms of percentage (‘climate change made heat waves 200% more likely’). We also tested both of these statistical frames for flooding as well as heat waves.
All treatment messages were compared to a pure control message (i.e., a message on an unrelated topic) as well as an active control message describing extreme weather events without attributing them to climate change…
We found that all of our messages significantly increased people’s understanding that climate change is making extreme weather more likely…. To give a more intuitive sense of these effect sizes, the messages increased the percentage of respondents who believe climate change made extreme weather more likely by 4.5 to 6.1 percentage points…
We found no significant differences between messages that mentioned heat waves versus messages that mentioned floods: both kinds of messages were similarly effective….
Overall, these findings indicate that there are multiple routes to build people’s understanding that climate change is making extreme weather more likely, and that these messages are effective across a wide range of audiences.”
Understanding that climate change affects one type of extreme weather increases beliefs that climate change affects other types as well. The researchers refer to this as a beneficial “spillover” effect. Pulling from the open access paper:
“We even find a spillover effect of attribution messages from one type of extreme weather to the other–attributing increased flooding to climate change affects beliefs about heat waves, and vice versa. As every framing we tested worked overall and we observed no backfire effects, we recommend communicating the links between climate change and extreme weather to all audiences.”
[NJ] Stockton University – Most New Jersey voters support a data center ban in their town, though they’re open to the state encouraging data center development as long as it comes with strict regulation [Release, Topline Results]
New Jersey voters express strong concerns about the impacts of data centers on both electricity costs and the environment. New Jersey voters have widespread and intense concerns about the impact of data centers on electricity costs (81% concerned, including 54% who are “very” concerned) and about the environmental impact of data centers, including water and energy usage (76% concerned, including 50% who are “very” concerned).
When the public had less awareness about data centers a year or so ago, polls showed limited understanding of the environmental impacts of data centers but apprehension about their electricity use as Americans were struggling with high utility bills. More recently, as the public has become more informed about and turned against data centers and the wider AI boom, polls like this are revealing a broader set of concerns about data center development.
New Jersey voters see little local benefit for communities with data centers. Less than one in ten New Jerseyans (8%) say that data centers generally benefit the communities while they are located, while close to half (49%) say that data centers generally harm local communities. An additional 22% believe that data centers have little local impact either way.
Most New Jersey voters would support a data center ban in their local area. Consistent with their beliefs about the lack of benefits for local communities, most New Jersey voters say that they would support a ban on data centers in the town where they live (56% support / 22% oppose).
New Jersey voters are generally amenable to encouraging data centers in the state as long as there are strict regulations on them. While most would support a local data center ban, there is nuance to New Jersey voters’ feelings about data center development.
When provided with a choice between the state encouraging data center development with strict regulation, encouraging data center development with fewer regulations, and discouraging data center development altogether, a plurality say that New Jersey should encourage data centers but strictly regulate them:
- Encourage development with strict regulations on energy usage and environmental impacts – 46%
- Discourage data center development altogether – 35%
- Encourage development with fewer regulations to promote economic growth – 12%
Voters in New Jersey widely agree on strengthening data center regulations and ending tax breaks. When it comes to particular laws and regulations, New Jersey voters overwhelmingly support requirements for data centers to generate their own power and to meet strict environmental or energy efficiency standards. There is also broad agreement that data centers shouldn’t get tax breaks or subsidies from the state:
- Requiring large data centers to supply their own new sources of electricity rather than relying on the existing electric grid – 84% support / 9% oppose
- Requiring data centers to meet stricter environmental or energy efficiency standards – 81% support / 11% oppose
- Offering technology companies tax breaks or subsidies to attract data center development in New Jersey – 18% support / 72% oppose
[MI] Progress Michigan – Michigan residents across party lines strongly support new transparency laws for data centers [Release]
Michigan residents have a range of concerns about new “hyperscale” data centers. Most residents in the state say that they’ve heard at least “a little” (73%) about new hyperscale data center development in Michigan, including around one-quarter (27%) who report hearing “a lot” about the topic.
And when Michiganders are asked to identify their main concern about the effects of new hyperscale data centers, their choices reflect a range of different anxieties:
- Excess water use or another water-related problem – 30% say that this is their main concern
- Increased energy costs – 23%
- Loss of farmland or other location concerns – 19%
- Something else – 6%
Meanwhile, only 9% say that they have no concerns about hyperscale data center construction.
Concerns also vary by partisan audience: a plurality of Democrats say that they are most concerned about excess water use or another water-related problem, a plurality of independents say that they are most concerned about increased energy costs, and a plurality of Republicans say that they are most concerned about the loss of formland or other location concerns.
Michiganders across party lines strongly support transparency requirements for data centers. One clear area of cross-partisan agreement is the need for new transparency laws for data centers.
After learning that data centers that receive state tax breaks are currently “not required to publicly disclose details related to their water and energy usage, infrastructure costs, or job creation commitments,” more than three-quarters of Michiganders (77%) say that they support additional transparency laws for data centers that receive state tax breaks. This includes more than two-thirds (69%) who strongly support these transparency laws.
Data center transparency laws also earn overwhelming and intense support among Democrats (76% support, 71% “strongly”), independents (82% support, 76% “strongly”), and Republicans (73% support, 61% “strongly”) alike.
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