Environmental Polling Roundup – October 10, 2025
Headlines
Yale + GMU – Americans’ news habits show a rapid digital shift, with particularly large changes among the most climate-conscious audiences [Article]
[Battleground CDs] Navigator – Voters in the U.S. House battleground rank utilities like gas and electricity as one of their most significant and fastest-rising expenses [Release, Deck]
[AL, KS, NC] Knowledge for a Competitive America – Voters in purple and red states overwhelmingly oppose cutting funding for climate and weather research [Release]
Key Takeaways
The audiences that care most about climate change are shifting rapidly toward digital sources for news. Yale and GMU find large shifts in Americans’ news consumption habits compared to four years ago. Americans are now about equally likely to name digital and TV sources as their most important sources of news, as the segment who name a form of digital media as their top news source has grown by 10 percentage points. This shift is driven in large part by the growth in social media-first news consumers, who Yale and GMU now find make up about one-fifth of the country (up from 12% in 2021).
Yale and GMU further find that the Americans who worry most about climate change (the “Alarmed” and “Concerned” segments of their “Global Warming’s Six Americas” framework) are particularly likely to be taking their news consumption online. And while we’d like to think that climate-conscious audiences are resistant to online climate misinformation, Yale and GMU point out that climate misinformation has been evolving from outright climate denialism to more subtle tactics such as skepticism about climate solutions. As Yale and GMU stress in their article on the findings, climate advocates therefore need to be cognizant of the current tactics of climate misinformation and make sure that accurate climate information is easy to find in digital spaces:
“Notably, the largest shifts toward online news consumption and away from mainstream news occurred among the Concerned and the Alarmed. This represents an important challenge because the tactics of climate misinformation online are shifting from outright denial that climate change is happening (a belief commonly held only by the Dismissive) to denying that climate climate solutions are effective – topics that the Alarmed and Concerned are most interested in learning about. These misinformation efforts are well-funded, but there are ways to combat misinformation online, such as by ‘pre-bunking,’ i.e. providing correct information in advance. Thus it is critically important that climate communicators ensure that evidence-based climate information is widely available online.”
Even in deep red states, voters oppose cutting climate and weather research. Surveying voters in Alabama, Kansas, and North Carolina, Knowledge for a Competitive America finds widespread agreement that the country should be investing in climate and weather research and that scientific research is a “smart use” of taxpayers’ money.
And when they’re informed of a proposal to end federal funding for research on the climate and weather, voters in these states overwhelmingly reject the idea and most believe that it would lead to worse disaster preparedness and threats to Americans’ safety. The proposal is unpopular not only among Democrats, but also among independents and Republicans across these states
In national polling, we’ve similarly seen little appetite from anywhere across the political spectrum for cuts to agencies like the EPA, NOAA, and NWS. Regardless of how voters feel about climate policies, the idea of shutting down research into the issue and hampering our disaster preparedness simply strikes voters as the wrong approach.
Full Roundup
Yale + GMU – Americans’ news habits show a rapid digital shift, with particularly large changes among the most climate-conscious audiences [Article]
Americans are now about equally likely to rate TV and digital sources as their top places to get news. Yale and GMU find that 40% of Americans now name a TV source as their most important source of news, while 38% name a digital source. This is a significant change from the last time that they asked about this topic in 2021, when Americans were 17 points more likely to name a TV source (45%) than a digital source (28%).
The 38% who now say that a digital source is their most important source of news includes 19% who rate social media as their most important source, 16% who primarily get their news from news websites or apps, and 3% who primarily get their news from podcasts.
The 40% who say that a TV source is their most important source of news includes 18% who primarily receive their news from local TV news, 11% who primarily receive news from national cable TV news, 10% who say that national network TV news is their most important source, and 1% who say that late-night comedy programs are their top source.
Social media is driving the shift toward digital news sources. More than any other single source, Yale and GMU find the largest shift in the percentage who primarily get their news from social media. This segment now accounts for 19% of Americans, compared to 12% in 2021. Social-first news consumers now also represent the single largest segment of the population, just ahead of those who primarily consume local TV news (18%) and those who primarily utilize news websites or apps (16%).
Climate-conscious audiences are particularly likely to get their news from digital sources. Analyzing the results of their survey by the “Global Warming’s Six Americas” segments, Yale and GMU find that those who are most worried about climate change are particularly likely to be digital-first news consumers.
“Alarmed” Americans (the 26% who are the most concerned and motivated by climate change) are particularly likely to use news websites or apps. Below are their top sources of news:
- News websites or apps – 23% (+2 since 2021)
- Social media – 14% (+6)
- Local TV news – 13% (-2)
- National radio news – 13% (-2)
- National cable TV news – 11% (-2)
- National network TV – 10% (-6)
“Concerned” Americans (who make up 28% of the country and are also cognizant and worried about climate change, though they don’t view it with the same urgency as the “Alarmed”) are particularly likely to get their news from social media. Their top news sources are as follows:
- Social media – 21% (+10 since 2021)
- News websites or apps – 18% (+6)
- Local TV news – 16% (-10)
- National network TV – 15% (-1)
- National cable TV news – 10% (–)
The online shift of these climate-conscious Americans should make our movement even more diligent about ensuring that accurate climate information is easy to find in digital spaces, as Yale and GMU stress in their article:
“Notably, the largest shifts toward online news consumption and away from mainstream news occurred among the Concerned and the Alarmed. This represents an important challenge because the tactics of climate misinformation online are shifting from outright denial that climate change is happening (a belief commonly held only by the Dismissive) to denying that climate climate solutions are effective – topics that the Alarmed and Concerned are most interested in learning about. These misinformation efforts are well-funded, but there are ways to combat misinformation online, such as by ‘pre-bunking,’ i.e. providing correct information in advance. Thus it is critically important that climate communicators ensure that evidence-based climate information is widely available online.”
[Battleground CDs] Navigator – Voters in the U.S. House battleground rank utilities like gas and electricity as one of their most significant and fastest-rising expenses [Release, Deck]
Consistent with national trends, voters in the U.S. House battleground are feeling the squeeze of rising utility costs. As we’ve seen in national polling, Navigator finds that utility bills are a major stressor for voters in the most competitive U.S. House districts.
The majority of battleground voters rate utilities like gas and electricity as one of the top three expenses that matter most in their personal budget, below only groceries and substantially ahead of health care and other expenses:
- Groceries – 87%
- Utilities, like gas and electricity – 59%
- Health insurance – 35%
- Prescription drugs – 23%
- Cars and auto parts – 16%
- Household goods, like furniture and appliances – 13%
- Clothing – 10%
- Transportation, like air travel – 7%
- Electronics – 5%
- Hospitality, like hotels – 3%
Battleground voters are more sensitive to rising utility costs than to most other rising expenses. When asked to choose the three types of expenses that have increased the most over the last few months as a result of tariffs, utilities also near the top for battleground voters:
- Groceries – 62%
- Cars and auto parts – 34%
- Utilities, like gas and electricity – 26%
- Household goods, like furniture and appliances – 24%
- Electronics – 20%
- Clothing – 17%
- Health insurance – 12%
- Prescription drugs – 9%
- Transportation, like air travel – 8%
- Hospitality, like hotels – 5%
[AL, KS, NC] Knowledge for a Competitive America – Voters in purple and red states overwhelmingly oppose cutting funding for climate and weather research [Release]
Voters in red and purple states agree that the government should fund scientific research on the climate and weather, and call scientific research funding a “smart use of taxpayers’ money.” Surveying voters in Alabama, Kansas, and North Carolina, Knowledge for a Competitive America finds that large majorities across these states agree with each of the following statements:
- America’s position as a global leader depends on continued scientific research and innovation – 84%+ agree across states
- It is important for the government to fund scientific research that helps us better predict extreme weather – 79%+
- Investing in scientific research is a smart use of taxpayers’ money – 76%+
- It is important for the government to fund scientific research into weather and climate – 72%+
- Funding scientific research into weather and climate has important benefits for American economic prosperity – 67%+
- Funding scientific research into weather and climate has important benefits for American national security – 65%+
Ending funding for climate and weather research is unpopular, including among independents and Republicans. When told that there is a proposal to cut all federal funding for scientific research into the Earth’s water and climate, voters in all three states oppose the proposal by wide margins:
- Alabama – 29% support / 63% oppose
- Kansas – 26% support / 69% oppose
- North Carolina – 22% support / 72% oppose
Across the three-state sample, the proposal to end funding for climate and weather research is deeply unpopular among Democrats (10% support / 87% oppose) and independents (19% support / 72% oppose). Additionally, Republicans in these states oppose the idea by a double-digit margin (41% support / 52% oppose).
Negative impacts for disaster preparedness and Americans’ safety stand out among the clearest reasons not to cut climate and weather research funding. Voters in the three states tend to agree with each of the following statements about the proposal to end federal funding for climate and weather research:
- This policy would make it harder to predict and respond to disasters like the recent Texas floods – 59%+ agree across states
- This policy would be a dumb way to try to save taxpayers money – 57%+
- This policy would make Americans less safe – 56%+
- This policy would make America less competitive relative to other nations like China – 54%+
- This policy would make it easier for the government to hide important information from the American people – 52%+
- This policy would lead to a brain drain of scientists who could be replaced by political loyalists – 51%+
- This policy would reduce American innovation and make America less prosperous – 49%+
Related Resources
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