This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on Americans attitudes toward various sources of energy + lots of new research about young Americans’ views on climate change and President Biden’s handling of the issue.

HEADLINES

ecoAmerica

Americans are far more likely to support investment in solar and wind than other energy sources, and the public continues to underestimate pollution from “natural” gas [Website, Report, Topline]

[Youth] LCV
Young Americans don’t believe the Biden administration has done enough to combat climate change or to hold oil and gas companies accountable; young Americans particularly want to see the administration close outdated oil and gas pipelines [Website, Deck]

[Youth] LCV Victory Fund + Climate Power
President Biden is underperforming with young voters, but messaging about his administration’s climate and clean energy accomplishments is impactful [Deck, Memo]

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Americans need much more education on the harms of “natural” gas. New polling by ecoAmerica is the latest to find that Americans widely underestimate the damage that natural gas causes to public health and the climate, with only about half of Americans recognizing that natural gas contributes to unhealthy air pollution and climate change. Other research shows that the word “natural” in “natural gas” leads to misconceptions about its safety. Relative to alternative terms like “methane gas,” researchers have found that Americans have more positive attitudes toward the term “natural gas” and are less likely to associate it with pollution.
Young Americans are largely in the dark about President Biden’s climate accomplishments. New polls from LCV and from the LCV Victory Fund and Climate Power both find that young Americans are frustrated with President Biden’s handling of climate change. These polls show that young Americans correctly feel that Biden could be doing more on climate change, and the LCV poll finds that young Americans particularly want him to stand up more to the oil and gas industry. At the same time, these polls find that education about the climate policies that Biden has successfully enacted increases young people’s confidence in him to handle the issue.

GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT

[Clean Energy] 73% of Americans say that the United States should invest more in the research and development of wind and solar energy in the next few years [ecoAmerica]
[Issue Priority] More Americans name climate change and the environment as the single “most important issue” to them than any other issue aside from inflation/prices and health care [The Economist + YouGov]
[Youth + Fossil Fuels] 64% of young Americans aged 18-34 support closing outdated oil and gas pipelines [LCV] 
[Youth + Fossil Fuels] 59% of young Americans aged 18-34 support preventing new oil drilling on federal lands and waters [LCV] 
[Youth + Fossil Fuels] 54% of young Americans aged 18-34 support halting the expansion of methane gas exports [LCV]