Environmental Polling Roundup – September 19, 2025
Headlines
WE ACT + Data for Progress – Voters aren’t hearing much about data centers, but tend to support data centers being built in their areas–especially if companies pay for new power generation facilities for them and utilize clean energy [Release, Crosstabs]
Fossil Free Media + Data for Progress – Voters continue to say that oil and gas companies have too much power and should be required to pay a share of the costs for climate-related damages [Release, Crosstabs including state-level oversamples in FL, IL, NC, TX, VA]
Third Way – Majorities of voters recognize that extreme weather is getting worse and that climate change is driving up insurance costs [Release, Report, Topline]
Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) – Conservative audiences have positive attitudes about both fossil fuels and clean energy, and widely support accelerating the development and use of clean energy in the U.S. [Release, Deck]
Key Takeaways
Conservative audiences still want to expand clean energy. Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), in a survey of Republican and independent voters, finds broad support among self-identified Republicans for clean energy expansion.
Researchers like Pew have measured declining support for clean energy among Republicans in recent years. However, even with these dips, solar energy in particular remains popular with Republican audiences. In contrast to Democrats, who consistently say that the country should be using more clean energy and less fossil fuel energy, Republicans tend to say that the country should be producing more of both.
The Trump administration’s war on clean energy may change these dynamics over time, and the trendlines indicate that Republican voters are gradually falling in line with him. For now, however, there’s still a potential wedge here between Trump and his voters–particularly as the administration is blocking projects at a time when electricity demand and prices are surging.
Messaging focused on future generations continues to outperform other rationales for climate action, even as voters recognize that climate change is driving up the cost of living today. Third Way finds that voters, who widely recognize the increasing frequency of extreme weather and report rising home insurance costs, are able to connect these two trends and agree that climate change is driving up the cost of living by fueling more destructive and costly weather disasters.
However, Third Way also finds that arguments for climate action that focus on these rising costs are not as persuasive as messaging about acting on climate change to protect future generations. In fact, we have yet to see any rationale for climate action consistently test as more persuasive than this kind of generational message.
The following is the “generational” message that Third Way tested, which ranked far ahead of seven other options in their poll as the most convincing statement in support of climate action: “We owe it to our children and grandchildren to leave them a healthy planet and clean environment. We should invest in clean energy sources to reduce the damage we are causing so we can pass on a livable Earth to future generations.”
Good Data Points to Highlight
- [Oil + Gas Accountability] 67% of voters, including 57% of Republicans, say that CEOs of oil and gas companies have too much power in America’s political system [Fossil Free Media + Data for Progress]
- [Oil + Gas Accountability] 74% of voters, including 61% of Republicans, support requiring oil and gas companies to pay a share of the costs for climate-related damages [Fossil Free Media + Data for Progress]
- [Oil + Gas Accountability] By a nearly two-to-one margin (59% support / 31% oppose), voters support legislation that would allow individuals and insurance companies that are harmed by climate disasters to recover their losses from oil and gas companies [Fossil Free Media + Data for Progress]
- [Climate Change + Insurance] 64% of voters agree that climate change is driving up the cost of homeowners’ and renters’ insurance by causing more natural disasters [Third Way]
- [Clean Energy + Republicans] 70% of self-identified Republican voters support the federal government taking action to accelerate the development and use of clean energy in the U.S. [CRES]
- [Clean Energy + Republicans] 68% of self-identified Republican voters support tax credits, rebates, and other incentives to expand clean energy in the U.S. [CRES]
- [Clean Energy + Republicans] 76% of self-identified Republican voters have favorable attitudes about solar energy, while just 21% feel unfavorably [CRES]
- [Clean Energy + Republicans] 63% of self-identified Republican voters have favorable attitudes about wind energy, while just 33% feel unfavorably [CRES]
Full Roundup
WE ACT + Data for Progress – Voters aren’t hearing much about data centers, but tend to support data centers being built in their areas–especially if companies pay for new power generation facilities for them and utilize clean energy [Release, Crosstabs]
Voters have limited familiarity with data centers, but are inclined to support building them in their states. Slightly more than half of voters (55%) have heard enough about data centers to offer an opinion on them, and their attitudes skew more positive than negative (34% favorable / 21% unfavorable).
Republicans tend to have more favorable opinions of data centers (41% favorable / 18% unfavorable) than Democrats (28% favorable / 23% unfavorable).
And while most voters (62%) have heard “nothing at all” about the construction of data centers in their state, the majority (56% support / 31% oppose) say that they would support the construction of new data centers in their state after reading the explanation below:
“Data centers are facilities that contain a large number of interlinked computer systems that allow organizations to store, process, and distribute large amounts of digital data. They are often used to support applications and online services, including artificial intelligence, and many data centers are owned by companies like Google and Meta.”
Again, Republicans show more positive attitudes about data centers as they are eight points more likely to support building them in their states (62% support / 26% oppose) than Democrats (54% support / 37% oppose).
Voters across party lines support requiring companies to pay to build new power generation facilities for their data centers to avoid overloading the grid. WE ACT and Data for Progress provided respondents with the following primer about the problem of data centers’ energy consumption:
“Data centers use large amounts of energy to operate, and projections indicate that U.S. households will have to pay more in their electricity bills for these centers to operate. Some lawmakers in Congress are proposing requiring companies that want to construct new data centers to pay to build new power generation facilities, so that the energy demand from new data centers does not overload the grid.”
After reading this explanation, roughly three in five voters (63% support / 23% oppose)–including majorities of Democrats (62% support / 27% oppose) and Republicans (66% support / 21% oppose)–support this requirement for companies to pay for new power generation for their data centers.
Voters have a clear preference for data centers to be powered by clean energy rather than fossil fuels. By a greater than two-to-one margin (60% clean energy / 25% fossil fuels), voters say that the country should prioritize using clean energy rather than fossil fuels to meet the growing demand for energy from data centers.
Fossil Free Media + Data for Progress – Voters continue to say that oil and gas companies have too much power and should be required to pay a share of the costs for climate-related damages [Release, Crosstabs including state-level oversamples in FL, IL, NC, TX, VA]
Oil and gas companies are underwater with voters, who widely agree that these companies have too much power. Fossil Free Media and Data for Progress find that oil and gas companies are eight points underwater with voters nationally (42% favorable / 50% unfavorable), placing them roughly on par with other unpopular sectors such as health insurance companies (44% favorable / 51% unfavorable), big tech companies (40% favorable / 51% unfavorable), and big banks (39% favorable / 52% unfavorable).
The survey also finds that oil and gas companies are more politically polarizing than these other types of companies, as oil and gas companies are deeply underwater with Democratic voters (31% favorable / 59% unfavorable) and independents (34% favorable / 59% unfavorable) but relatively popular with Republican voters (59% favorable / 35% unfavorable).
Still, the large majority of voters (67%)–including most Republicans (57%)–say that CEOs of oil and gas companies have too much power in the U.S. political system.
Large majorities recognize that climate change-related extreme weather events have become more frequent. In a split-sample test, majorities agree both that the number of “climate change-related events” (70%) and “extreme weather events” (65%) such as hurricanes, flash floods, droughts, and heat waves have increased over the past five years.
Democrats (85% for “climate change-related events” vs. 76% for “extreme weather events”) and independents (77% for “climate change-related events” vs. 64% for “extreme weather events”) are both more likely to report an increase in these incidents when they’re referred to as “climate change-related events,” perhaps because the term activates these groups’ general belief that climate change is getting worse.
Among Republicans, meanwhile, there was no real difference in recognition that “extreme weather events” (53%) or “climate change-related events” (51%) have increased in recent years.
Rising insurance costs are a widespread concern. More than four in five voters (84%) say that they’re at least “somewhat” concerned about rising home or property insurance rates in the coming years, including large majorities of Democrats (91%), independents (85%), and Republicans (78%).
These concerns are also intense, with around half of voters (52%) saying that they’re “very” concerned about rising insurance rates.
Voters say that oil and gas companies should be held responsible for climate-related damages. After reading that clean-up and rebuilding after extreme weather events like flash flooding and hurricanes has become more expensive, nearly three-quarters of voters (74% support / 20% oppose) support “requiring oil and gas companies to pay a share of costs for climate-related damages.” This includes majorities of Democrats (86%), independents (74%), and Republicans (61%).
And by a nearly two-to-one margin (59% support / 31% oppose), voters support requiring oil and gas companies to cover individuals’ and insurance companies’ losses from climate-related events after reading the explanation below:
“Some lawmakers have proposed legislation that would allow individuals and insurance companies harmed by climate disasters and extreme weather events to recover their losses from oil and gas companies. They point to evidence that oil and gas companies lied to the public about the role their products play in fueling climate change as a reason why these companies should pay.”
This proposal to hold oil and gas companies liable for climate-related losses enjoys large margins of support from Democrats (73% support / 17% oppose) and independents (58% support / 31% oppose), while Republicans are divided on it (46% support / 43% oppose).
The idea of legal immunity for oil and gas companies’ climate damage is unpopular across the political spectrum. One clear point of agreement in the survey, amid the Trump administration’s push to stop polluter accountability laws and lawsuits, is that oil and gas companies should not be protected from lawsuits for damages caused by climate change.
Nearly two-thirds of voters (27% support / 65% oppose) oppose the idea of legal immunity for oil and gas companies that would shield them from being sued for climate disaster damages, including majorities of Democrats (20% support / 74% oppose), independents (26% support / 66% oppose), and Republicans (35% support / 55% oppose).
Third Way – Majorities of voters recognize that extreme weather is getting worse and that climate change is driving up insurance costs [Release, Report, Topline]
Voters overwhelmingly agree that climate change is currently impacting people in the U.S. Nearly four in five voters (79%) believe that climate change is impacting people in the U.S. at least “a little,” including 52% who say that Americans are being impacted “a lot.”
Voters widely recognize that extreme weather is becoming more frequent, both nationally and in their own areas. Four in five (80%) say that the frequency of extreme weather and natural disasters like flooding, wildfires, or severe rain in the U.S. has increased in the past few years. This includes around half (53%) who say that these extreme weather events have increased “a lot.”
At the local level, seven in ten (70%) say that extreme weather and natural disasters have increased in frequency in their area. This includes 36% who say that these events have increased “a lot” around where they live.
Voters connect the increase in extreme weather events to climate change. Among voters who say that extreme weather and natural disasters have become more frequent at either the national or local levels, large majorities say that climate change has played a “major role.”
Of the voters who say that extreme weather is becoming more frequent nationally, nearly seven in ten (69%) call climate change a “major” factor behind this increase. And among those who say that extreme weather has increased locally, around two-thirds (66%) say that climate change has played a “major” role.
Voters are feeling the rise in insurance costs, particularly if they own their homes. Roughly four in five voters (82%) with home insurance say that their home insurance costs have increased in the last few years, including close to half (45%) who say that these costs have increased “a lot.”
Among voters with renters’ insurance, most (53%) also say that their insurance costs have increased in recent years.
The majority of voters agree that climate change is driving up insurance costs. Tying together these beliefs about climate change, extreme weather, and insurance costs, Third Way finds that most voters see a connection between climate change and rising insurance costs.
When asked to choose, most voters (64%) agree with a statement that “climate change is causing more natural disasters, which is driving up the cost of homeowners’ and renters’ insurance for people like me.” Only around one-quarter (24%) agree more with a competing statement that “climate change is not causing homeowners’ and renters’ insurance to go up for people like me.”
Messaging focused on future generations remains the most compelling call for climate action, with cost-focused messages generally resonating less. While voters are coming to understand the cost impacts of climate change, insurance costs rank relatively low on their list of reasons to address the problem.
Below are the percentages who rate each of the following rationales as a “very good reason” to invest in stopping or reducing climate change:
- To protect the planet for future generations – 57% “very good reason”
- To protect the animals and plants in the environment – 56%
- To reduce the more frequent storms like hurricanes and tornadoes that cause death and destruction – 53%
- To stop the rising sea levels that will flood many low-lying areas – 49%
- To reduce America’s growing drinking water shortage in hot parts of the country – 48%
- Because the clean energy sources we need to fight climate change like wind and solar will also make us energy independent and get us off foreign oil – 45%
- To reduce wars and mass migration caused by lack of food and water in some places – 42%
- To stop the rising cost of homeowners’ and renters’ insurance – 41%
Third Way also tested eight longer statements in support of investing in clean energy and combating climate change, and asked respondents to choose the most convincing statement of the eight. The below statement about future generations was rated as the most convincing for 36% of respondents, with none of the other seven statements chosen as the most convincing by more than 20%.
“We owe it to our children and grandchildren to leave them a healthy planet and clean environment. We should invest in clean energy sources to reduce the damage we are causing so we can pass on a livable Earth to future generations.”
Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) – Conservative audiences have positive attitudes about both fossil fuels and clean energy, and widely support accelerating the development and use of clean energy in the U.S. [Release, Deck]
Republican voters widely support the expansion of clean energy. In this national survey of independent and right-leaning voters (including self-identified Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, as well as “true” independents), CRES finds that self-identified Republican voters are supportive of clean energy across a variety of metrics:
- 72% of Republican voters say that it’s “very” or “fairly” important for the U.S. to use clean energy to reduce pollution that leads to climate change
- 70% of Republican voters support the federal government taking action to accelerate the development and use of clean energy in the U.S.
- 68% of Republican voters say that it’s “very” or “fairly” important for their member of Congress to work to expand the use of clean energy in the U.S.
- 68% of Republican voters support tax credits, rebates, and other incentives to encourage investment, manufacturing, and the use of clean energy in the U.S.
A plurality of Republicans also say that the country’s investments in clean energy have had a positive impact on the U.S. (46%), while just 20% believe that clean energy investments have had a negative impact on the country.
Republican voters are particularly supportive of solar, rating it as favorably as any power source other than natural gas. One consistent finding in polling on Republican-leading audiences is that they feel positively about a wide range of energy sources, including fossil fuels as well as wind, solar, nuclear, and other technologies.
To that end, CRES finds that majorities of self-identified Republicans feel favorably about each of the seven forms of energy listed below. And aside from natural gas, no energy source is substantially more popular with Republicans than solar energy:
- Natural gas energy – 88% favorable / 8% unfavorable
- Oil energy – 77% favorable / 19% unfavorable
- Solar energy – 76% favorable / 21% unfavorable
- Hydroelectric energy – 74% favorable / 14% unfavorable
- Wind energy – 63% favorable / 33% unfavorable
- Coal energy – 63% favorable / 32% unfavorable
- Nuclear energy – 57% favorable / 32% unfavorable
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