Public Resource
Environmental Polling Roundup - June 16th, 2023
David Gold, Environmental Polling Consortium

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new national polling on the Canadian wildfires, the Supreme Court decision to gut clean water protections in Sackett v. EPA, and offshore wind + new polling in Pennsylvania about the implementation of the Biden administration’s clean energy plan.

 

See this webpage for links to the following resources.

 

HEADLINES

The Economist + YouGov – Most Americans say that climate change has been a factor in severe recent wildfires; nearly one-third say that their local air quality has been affected (Topline, Crosstabs)

Navigator – Voters widely oppose the Supreme Court’s ruling on Sackett v. EPA, the decision that gutted federal protection of wetlands (Release, Deck, Topline)

[Multi-State] Climate Jobs National Resource Center (CJNRC) – Voters in key offshore wind states overwhelmingly support building offshore wind projects with strong labor standards; voters believe offshore wind is a net positive for the economy and jobs (Release, Memo)

[PA] Climate Power – Pennsylvania voters grow much more supportive of the Biden administration’s clean energy plan the more they learn about it; economic arguments like lowering household energy costs are key (Deck)

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Recent wildfires are a highly salient example of climate change as a here-and-now issue, but the public needs more education about the ways that human activity makes these types of disasters more severe. The Economist and YouGov find that nine in ten Americans have heard about recent wildfires, and most believe that climate change contributed to their severity. However, polls have yet to capture a corresponding bump in Americans’ beliefs about climate change. It’s important to note that very few Americans still outright deny that climate change exists, but many are skeptical that humans are the cause. Building public support for climate action, therefore, is less about showing evidence that climate change is real and more about persuading people that climate change is a human-caused crisis that requires human-built solutions. With audiences who recognize human-caused climate change but don’t treat it as a priority, meanwhile, advocates should point to events like the Canadian wildfires as evidence that we can’t afford to delay action.
     
  • Voters are skeptical that the clean energy transition will save them money, and they need to hear more proactive arguments on this point. In Pennsylvania, Climate Power finds that voters are inclined to believe that shifting to clean energy is more likely to cost them money than to save them money in the short term and are divided on how it will impact their energy costs in the longer term. Meanwhile, the poll finds that statements about lower household costs are the most persuasive points in favor of the Biden administration’s clean energy plan. This shows that voters are willing to hear out our arguments on costs, but it will require sustained and focused messaging to dispel their beliefs about the higher costs of clean energy.
     
  • There’s clear opportunity to fire up the public over the Supreme Court’s gutting of clean water protections. Navigator finds that voters oppose the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA more than any other recent decision by the court when they learn about it. Additionally, opposition to the decision is more intense (with higher “strong” opposition) than for any other recent ruling and Sackett v. EPA is also the only recent decision that draws more opposition than support from Republicans. Clean water protections are a universal, cross-partisan priority, and there is significant opportunity to spur environmental activism by educating the public that these protections are under attack.
     

GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT

  • [Climate Change + Wildfires] 60% of Americans say that climate change is at least “somewhat” responsible for the extent of recent wildfires [The Economist + YouGov]
     
  • [Climate Change] 57% of Americans recognize that the world’s climate is changing as a result of human activity, while 26% say the world’s climate is changing due to natural causes and only 7% deny that the climate is changing [The Economist + YouGov]
     
  • [Sackett v. EPA] Voters oppose the Sackett v. EPA decision by a nearly three-to-one margin (22% support / 65% oppose) when they learn that the decision will limit the power of the EPA to protect and regulate America’s wetlands and waterways [Navigator]
     
  • [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]
     
  • [Key Offshore Wind States – Offshore WInd] 66% of voters in key states for offshore wind development support building offshore wind projects with strong labor standards [Climate Jobs National Resource Center]
     
  • [Pennsylvania – Climate Change] 65% of Pennsylvania voters rate climate change as an important issue to them (6+ on a 0-10 scale), including 46% who rate it as “very important” (8+ on a 0-10 scale) [Climate Power]
     
  • [Pennsylvania – Climate Change] Pennsylvania voters are more than twice asl likely to say that President Biden is doing too little on climate change than to say that he’s doing too much (49% too little / 28% the right amount / 23% too much) [Climate Power]