Environmental Polling Roundup – November 10, 2023
HEADLINES
Yale + GMU – Demographics who are most inclined to support climate justice are hearing little about the concept [Article]
National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) – Americans across party lines overwhelmingly support measures to better protect wildlife in national parks [Release]
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Basic education about climate justice is essential, even and especially in potential “base” communities for the climate justice movement. Yale and GMU find that, while few Americans say that they are familiar with “climate justice,” most Americans support the goals of the climate justice movement when they learn basic information about it. Yale and GMU find that there are particularly large gaps between familiarity with the concept and support for climate justice goals among key constituencies for the movement, including Black and Hispanic Americans. Both of these groups are hearing little about the climate justice movement, but rank among the strongest supporters of its goals after learning about it.
- Protections for wildlife and national parks continue to be non-partisan priorities. The NPCA finds that an overwhelming, bipartisan majority of Americans believes that more needs to be done to protect wildlife in national parks. Lands and wildlife continue to be key entry points to engage conservative-leaning audiences on environmental issues, especially as we continue to see growing partisan divides around climate change and energy issues.
GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT
- [Pollution + Wildlife] 92% of Americans support reducing water pollution to better protect marine wildlife [NPCA]
- [Pollution + Wildlife] 84% of Americans support strengthening clean air standards to protect nature and wildlife from air pollution [NPCA]
- [Pollution + Wildlife] 65% of Americans recognize that single-use plastics are “extremely” or “very” harmful to wildlife in national parks [NPCA]
- [Parks + Wildlife] 88% of Americans agree that more needs to be done to support the safeguarding of national park wildlife [NPCA]
- [Parks + Wildlife] 86% of Americans support efforts by federal agencies to continue the recovery of threatened and endangered species in national parks [NPCA]
- [Parks + Wildlife] 60% of Americans say that the federal government should ensure that new land development next to national parks doesn’t increase the threat to national park wildlife [NPCA]
- [Climate Change + Wildlife] 59% of Americans recognize that climate change is “extremely” or “very” harmful to wildlife in national parks [NPCA]
FULL ROUNDUP
Yale + GMU – Demographics who are most inclined to support climate justice are hearing little about the concept [Article]
Polls show that Americans tend to support the principles and goals of the climate and environmental justice movements, if they learn what those principles and goals are. However, polling also shows that Americans are generally unfamiliar with the concepts of climate and environmental justice. As this new analysis from Yale and GMU illustrates, low awareness of climate justice extends to potential “base” audiences who are most inclined to support the climate justice movement.
Pulling from the article linked above, with emphasis added in bold:
“While climate justice is an important issue, many Americans are not yet familiar with it. According to our recent report, only about one in three Americans (34%) say they have heard or read at least ‘a little’ about climate justice, while most (65%) say they have not heard of it. However, after reading a brief description of climate justice, about half of Americans (53%) say they support it, while large majorities of registered voters support climate justice-related policies.
…
Overall, the groups with the largest gaps between having heard about climate justice (prior to reading a description) and supporting climate justice (after reading a description) were Black adults (12% said they know “a lot” or “some” about climate justice while 70% said they support its goals – a difference of 58 percentage points), followed by Hispanic/Latino adults, women, and those earning less than $50,000 per year (each with a difference of 45 percentage points).
…
While a majority of respondents support climate justice-related policies, support is consistently higher among Black and Hispanic/Latino respondents than White respondents. Nevertheless, majorities of all groups support climate-justice related policies.
The results indicate important opportunities for climate and environmental justice organizations in the United States. Many adults in the U.S. who are Black, Hispanic/Latino, women, or who have lower incomes, know little to nothing about climate justice – but most people in these groups support it when they learn about it. Notably, these groups also face greater harm from climate change impacts. Climate and environmental justice organizations have already made significant efforts to raise public awareness of, and promote political action on, these issues in many local communities. Nonetheless, our data underscores the need for greater investment in education, communication, and organizing, particularly among Black and Hispanic/Latino audiences, to expand the base of support nationally.
Solid majorities of respondents across racial and ethnic groups support climate justice policies in the United States, so talking about the specific benefits of actions to promote climate justice in communities may build more support than only talking about climate justice as a general concept.”
National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) – Americans across party lines overwhelmingly support measures to better protect wildlife in national parks [Release]
In recently released polling from this summer, the NPCA finds overwhelming, bipartisan support for measures to protect wildlife in national parks. As this poll underlines, protections for public lands and wildlife remain uncontroversial and bipartisan priorities even as Americans’ attitudes about other environmental issues have grown more politically polarized.
The NPCA finds that nearly nine in ten Americans (88%) agree that more needs to be done to protect national park wildlife, including 91% of Democrats and 85% of Republicans.
Most Americans also perceive several different threats to be “extremely” or “very” harmful to wildlife in national parks, including single-use plastics (65%), mismanaged hunting and fishing practices (60%), climate change (59%), and land development (56%).
The public seems to be particularly attuned to the dangers that single-use plastics pose to marine life, as four in five (82%) believe that reducing or eliminating the sale of single-use plastics in national parks helps to protect marine wildlife.
And as we consistently see in polling, clean air and water standards are non-negotiables for the public. The NPCA finds that Americans overwhelmingly support reducing water pollution to better protect marine wildlife (92%) and strengthening clean air standards to protect nature and wildlife from air pollution (84%).
Related Resources
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