This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including unusual weather, climate change and Canadian wildfires, and Latino voters and the health effects of pollution.

See this webpage for links to all the following resources.

HEADLINES

Navigator – More voters report unusual weather in their area this year than at similar points in 2022 and 2021; voters widely back climate action, especially when it’s described as shifting toward clean energy rather than away from fossil fuels [Topline]

The Economist + YouGov – Most Americans continue to say that climate change is playing a role in the Canadian wildfires [Topline, Crosstabs]

[Latino Voters] Climate Power – Latino voters in key states are deeply concerned about the health effects of pollution [Memo]

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Advocates should continue to drive home the connection between climate change and the Canadian wildfires as, despite all the news coverage of the wildfires, the public still only has a vague notion about their connection to climate change. The Economist and YouGov find that most Americans believe climate change is at least “somewhat” responsible for the extent of recent wildfires, which is consistent with their earlier polling on the topic in mid-June. However, there is significant room to increase the majority who see the wildfires as linked to climate change (58%) and to increase the percentage of Americans who perceive a strong link between climate change and the recent wildfires (31% say that climate change is “entirely” or “mostly” responsible for the extent of recent wildfires). The Economist and YouGov additionally find that the percentage of Americans who say they’ve personally been impacted by climate change has increased slightly since mid-June, and high-salience events like the Canadian wildfires can be strong proof points to demonstrate the here-and-now, personal impacts of climate change. 
   
• We need to explain the gains of climate action to the public. Navigator finds that voters are more inclined to support climate action when it is described as the country getting more energy from clean energy sources than when it is framed as the country getting less energy from fossil fuels. Polls consistently show that clean energy sources like solar and wind are the most well-liked energy sources in the country, so public-facing narratives about climate action should emphasize the popular forms of energy that we are moving toward rather than the forms of energy that we are shifting away from.

GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT

• [Climate Change + Clean Energy] 79% of voters support the United States using more clean energy like wind and solar power so that we can reduce the pollution that causes climate change [Navigator]
   
• [Climate Change] 68% of voters say that climate change is a serious problem for Americans today, including 40% who call it a “very serious” problem [Navigator]
   
• [Climate Change] 59% of Americans recognize that the world’s climate is changing as a result of human activity, compared to just 24% who say that the world’s climate is changing for other reasons and only 7% who deny that the world’s climate is changing [The Economist + YouGov]
   
• [Climate Change + Wildfires] 58% of Americans say that climate change is at least “somewhat” responsible for the extent of recent wildfires [The Economist + YouGov]
   
• [Climate Change + Personal Impacts] 50% of Americans say they have personally felt the effects of climate change, and an additional 10% say they haven’t been impacted yet but expect to be in the future [The Economist + YouGov]
   
• [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, health care, and the economy/jobs [The Economist + YouGov]