Environmental Polling Roundup – September 26, 2025
Headlines
Navigator – Voters have mixed feelings about MAHA, but agree across party lines that the country should strengthen regulations on chemical pollution and ban “forever chemicals” [Health Attitudes Deck, Health Policy & Messaging Deck, Topline]
[Battleground States] Searchlight Institute – Battleground voters want climate solutions that also lower the cost of living, and feel that Democrats are more in touch with them on climate change than Republicans [Release, Climate Topline, Energy Crosstabs]
ecoAmerica – Americans see clean water, air, and energy as universal rights [Release, Crosstabs]
Key Takeaways
Voters believe that climate change is one of the main priorities of the Democratic Party. They also say that Democrats are more in touch with them on the issue than Republicans. A battleground state poll by the Searchlight Institute, a new left-leaning think tank, finds that around half of battleground voters believe that climate change is one of the top three issue priorities of the Democratic Party.
The Searchlight Institute argues in their commentary about the poll that this perceived emphasis on climate change is a problem for Democrats because voters prioritize affordability over climate change, and that issues like climate change perpetuate an image of the Democrats as “focused on issues perceived as out-of-touch to most Americans.” There are other assertions in the Searchlight Institute’s poll release that some environmental advocates will object to, which is probably not accidental, as one of the Searchlight Institute’s reported goals is to combat the influence of issue advocacy groups.
It is not the EPC’s role to advise political parties, so we won’t argue for or against the Searchlight Institute’s guidance to Democrats. However, it’s hard to reconcile some of their stated conclusions with the underlying data. The Searchlight Institute’s own poll finds that voters are much more likely to rate the Democratic Party as being “in step” with them on climate change than the Republican Party. Voters in the poll also say that they trust Democrats by wide margins over Republicans on climate change and the environment, and also have more confidence in Democrats to deal with the demand for energy.
It is true that the cost of living has been Americans’ top issue concern for several years running, so it makes good sense to connect your messaging to that concern where and when it’s applicable. It is crucially important, for example, to convince the public that climate solutions like shifting to clean energy will help with the cost of living–a point that Americans are still unsure of. However, voters are capable of prioritizing several issues at once, and several other rationales for climate action–such as the benefits for public health, U.S. energy independence, and future generations–continue to resonate as well.
While voters have mixed feelings about the “MAHA” agenda, cracking down on chemical pollution has strong and bipartisan appeal. In testing a long list of policy proposals that relate to the “MAHA” movement and health and wellness, Navigator finds that strengthening regulations on corporations that pour chemicals into our air and water is one of the most popular ideas across party lines.
Voters on both sides of the political divide strongly agree that we need to hold corporate polluters accountable and prevent them from polluting our air and water with toxic chemicals.
Advocates should be clear-eyed in their efforts to engage with “MAHA” adherents. This is an audience that is distrustful of authority and prone to conspiratorial thinking, and its skepticism toward science and expertise is counterproductive to the environmental movement’s goals. For those who are seeking to make inroads with this audience, we recommend trying to focus its attention on the very real and well-documented ways in which corporate polluters have conspired with the politicians and regulators that are supposed to be holding them accountable.
Good Data Points to Highlight
- [Chemical Pollution] 87% of voters, including 85% of Republicans, support new regulations on corporations to prevent them from pouring chemicals into our air and water [Navigator]
- [Chemical Pollution] 78% of voters, including 81% of Republicans, support banning “forever chemicals,” also known as PFAS, from drinking water [Navigator]
- [Clean Air + Water] 92% of Americans agree that “clean air and water are critical rights for all people” [ecoAmerica]
- [Clean Energy] 88% of Americans agree that “everyone has a right to clean energy that does not pollute the air or water” [ecoAmerica]
- [Battleground Voters] 61% of battleground state voters rate climate change as a “crisis” or “very serious problem” [Searchlight Institute]
- [Battleground Voters] 52% of battleground state voters have favorable attitudes about the clean energy industry, compared to just 15% who feel unfavorably about it [Searchlight Institute]
- [Battleground Voters] 49% of battleground state voters have favorable attitudes about the EPA, compared to just 16% who feel unfavorably about it [Searchlight Institute]
Full Roundup
Navigator – Voters have mixed feelings about MAHA, but agree across party lines that the country should strengthen regulations on chemical pollution and ban “forever chemicals” [Health Attitudes Deck, Health Policy & Messaging Deck, Topline]
Voters have mixed feelings about the “MAHA” movement, while RFK Jr. is personally unpopular. Voters have slightly more favorable than unfavorable opinions of the “Make America Healthy Again” / MAHA movement (43% favorable / 36% unfavorable), which is generally popular with Republican voters (70% favorable / 12% unfavorable) and deeply unpopular with Democrats (19% favorable / 60% unfavorable).
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as an individual is 12 points underwater with voters nationally (38% favorable / 50% unfavorable), largely because Democrats feel even more negatively about him personally (12% favorable / 78% unfavorable) than about his movement.
Voters overwhelmingly agree that the country should strengthen rules on chemical pollution and ban “forever chemicals.” In testing a variety of policy proposals related to health and wellness, Navigator finds that measures to crack down on chemical pollution rank among the most popular.
Below are all of the health-related policies that Navigator asked about in the survey, ranked from most to least popular:
- Making sure annual check-ups and regular tests like mammograms are covered by health insurance – 91% support / 4% oppose
- Increasing exercise and physical activity in schools – 88% support / 6% oppose
- Introducing new regulations on corporations to prevent them from pouring chemicals into our air and water – 87% support / 4% oppose
- Putting a tax on corporations that pour chemicals into our air and water – 86% support / 8% oppose
- Removing highly processed foods from school lunches – 83% support / 10% oppose
- Removing artificial food dyes, like red dye, from all foods – 81% support / 9% oppose
- Using federal funds to invest in medical research – 81% support / 9% oppose
- Decreasing pesticide and herbicide use in commercial agriculture – 79% support / 10% oppose
- Banning “forever chemicals,” also known as PFAS, from drinking water – 78% support / 4% oppose
- Having health insurance cover gym memberships – 68% support / 19% oppose
- Making GLP-1s like Ozempic accessible and affordable for eligible Americans – 61% support / 19% oppose
- Bringing back the Presidential Fitness Test in schools – 59% support / 20% oppose
- Eliminating fluoride from public drinking water – 43% support / 36% oppose
- Making all vaccines optional, including for students attending public schools – 39% support / 55% oppose
- Revoking the FDA’s approval of the coronavirus vaccine in the U.S. – 31% support / 49% oppose
- Ending all vaccine mandates, including for students attending public schools – 31% support / 58% oppose
- Banning the coronavirus vaccine entirely in the U.S. – 26% support / 63% oppose
- Defunding mRNA vaccine research – 26% support / 46% oppose
Measures to address chemical pollution and hold corporate polluters accountable are popular across party lines. Navigator finds that nearly two-thirds of voters (65%) believe very strongly (“5” on a 1-5 scale) in the statement that “we need to hold corporate polluters accountable and keep them from pouring toxic chemicals into the air we breathe and the water we drink.” Majorities across party lines say that they agree strongly with this sentiment, including 73% of Democrats, 71% of independents, and 56% of Republicans.
Specific proposals to address chemical pollution also have broad, cross-partisan support. Overwhelming and intense majorities of Democrats (90% agree, 74% “strongly”), independents (82% agree, 59% “strongly”), and Republicans (85% agree, 59% “strongly”) support new regulations on corporations to prevent them from pouring chemicals into our air and water.
The proposal to ban PFAS / “forever chemicals” from drinking water also attracts strong support from voters of all partisan affiliations, including Democrats (75% support, 58% “strongly”), independents (76% support, 55% “strongly”), and Republicans (81% support, 59% “strongly”).
[Battleground States] Searchlight Institute – Battleground voters feel that Democrats are more in step with them on climate change than Republicans, and want energy and environmental policy to prioritize lowering costs while also protecting the environment [Release, Climate Topline, Energy Crosstabs]
Most battleground voters say that climate change should be a priority for the country, but they want the most focus on traditional economic issues. In this poll of registered voters across seven battleground states (AZ, GA, MI, NC, NV, PA, and WI), the Searchlight Institute finds that the majority of battleground voters (58%) rate addressing climate change as a “7” or higher on a 0-10 scale of priority for the country.
When asked to rank the three most important issues for national leaders to focus on, however, voters rank climate change in a middle tier below top priorities such as the cost of living and health care:
- Affordable prices – 71% say that this should be a top-three priority for the president and Congress
- Health care – 55%
- Jobs and wages – 50%
- Immigration – 32%
- Crime – 31%
- Poverty – 24%
- Climate change – 22%
- Abortion – 11%
- LGBTQ+ issues – 4%
Battleground state voters perceive climate change to be one of the Democratic Party’s top priorities, and one of the lowest for the GOP. When asked to choose each party’s top three areas of focus from a list of nine issues, voters say that Democrats are most focused on climate change, LGBTQ+ issues, health care, and abortion:
- Climate change – 46% say that this is a top-three issue for Democrats
- LGBTQ+ issues – 45%
- Health care – 45%
- Abortion – 43%
- Affordable prices – 35%
- Jobs and wages – 32%
- Poverty – 23%
- Immigration – 18%
- Crime – 12%
There’s no consensus on what the Democratic Party’s single greatest focus is, though battleground voters are more likely to name LGBTQ+ issues (23%), health care (15%), or affordable prices (14%) as the party’s main priority than climate change (11%).
Immigration overshadows all other issues when battleground voters are asked to choose the Republican Party’s main priorities, with most (55%) rating immigration as the party’s top focus and four in five (83%) agreeing that it’s one of the party’s top three priorities. Climate change, meanwhile, ranks at the bottom of Republicans’ perceived priorities:
- Immigration – 83% say that this is a top-three issue for Republicans
- Crime – 53%
- Jobs and wages – 41%
- Abortion – 38%
- Affordable prices – 32%
- Health care – 20%
- LGBTQ+ issues – 19%
- Poverty – 7%
- Climate change – 6%
Battleground voters feel that the Democratic Party is more in step with them on climate change than the Republican Party. When asked to rate how “in step” or “out of step” the parties are with them on various issues, around half of battleground voters (47%) rate the Democratic Party as being closely in step with them on climate change (7+ on a 0-10 scale). Only around one-quarter (27%) say that the Democratic Party is out of step with them on the issue (0-3 on the 0-10 scale).
Voters perceive a bigger gap between themselves and the Republican Party on climate change, with only around three in ten (31%) saying that Republicans are closely in step with them on climate change (7+ on the 0-10 scale). Meanwhile, 43% feel that the Republican Party is out of step with them on the issue (0-3 on the 0-10 scale).
This feeling that the Democratic Party is more in touch on climate change is particularly notable given how much of a difference voters see between the two parties’ approaches, with Democrats perceived to be making the issue a main focus and Republicans perceived not to be prioritizing it at all.
Democrats have large advantages with battleground voters on climate change and the environment, and also a modest edge on energy supply issues. Below are the margins by which battleground voters say that they trust one party over the other to “have the right approach” on various issues:
- Issues related to reducing pollution and protecting the environment, including clean air and water – Democrats +21
- Issues related to climate change – Democrats +21
- Issues related to dealing with the demand for energy – Democrats +10
- Your views overall – Democrats +5
- Keeping basics goods and services affordable – Democrats +4
- Improving Americans’ standard of living – Democrats +3
- Issues related to dealing with the cost of energy – Democrats +2
- Issues related to government regulation of business and industries – Republicans +2
Battleground voters say that energy and environmental policy should prioritize lowering costs, while also protecting the environment. The Searchlight Institute provided voters with 16 potential priorities that elected officials could have when making decisions about policies related to climate change, energy, and the environment.
While “keeping consumer costs down” rises to the top of the list of priorities for energy and environmental policy, large majorities also say that it should be a priority to protect the environment, develop more energy sources, increase energy efficiency, and prepare for extreme weather. Below are battleground voters’ highest-ranked priorities for energy and environmental policy:
- Keeping consumer costs low – 85% rate this as “7” or higher on a 0-10 scale of priority
- Protecting the environment, including clean water and clean air – 78%
- Developing more energy sources to keep energy costs low – 78%
- Supporting research, discovery, and innovation of new technologies around energy efficiency – 74%
- Strengthening existing infrastructure and building new infrastructure to withstand extreme weather events that are becoming more common – 73%
Battleground voters have favorable attitudes about the EPA and environmental groups, and feel much more positively about the clean energy industry than about oil and gas companies. Voters in these states have net favorable attitudes about groups that are working to address environmental problems and shift to cleaner energy, including:
- The clean energy industry – 52% favorable / 15% unfavorable
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – 49% favorable / 16% unfavorable
- Environmental groups – 46% favorable / 22% unfavorable
The clean energy industry is notably more popular than the oil and gas industry (31% favorable / 34% unfavorable) in these states. Recent national polling has similarly found that voters have mixed opinions about oil and gas companies.
ecoAmerica – Americans see clean water, air, and energy as universal rights [Release, Crosstabs]
Americans across party lines say that clean air, clean water, and clean energy sources are universal rights. ecoAmerica finds strong, cross-partisan agreement on each of the statements below about clean air and water.
“Clean air and water are critical rights for all people.”
- Overall – 92% agree, including 67% who agree “strongly”
- Democrats – 97% agree, 79% “strongly”
- Independents – 91% agree, 67% “strongly”
- Republicans – 90% agree, 57% “strongly”
“Everyone has a right to clean energy that does not pollute the air or water.”
- Overall – 88% agree, including 61% who agree “strongly”
- Democrats – 94% agree, 75% “strongly”
- Independents – 82% agree, 59% “strongly”
- Republicans – 87% agree, 49% “strongly”
Americans continue to respond strongly to the idea that no community is “left behind” by climate solutions. ecoAmerica also finds overwhelming agreement with a statement that “solutions to climate change should be fair, ensuring all communities benefit and no one is left behind” (85% agree, including 52% who agree “strongly”).
Democrats (94% agree, 66% “strongly”), independents (84% agree, 50% “strongly”), and Republicans (82% agree, 39% “strongly”) are united in their agreement on this point.
We’ve seen a similarly robust response to language that we should make sure “no community is left behind” in the clean energy transition, which appears to resonate more with the public than the idea of granting all communities a “fair share of investment.”
Related Resources
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