Public Resource
Environmental Polling Roundup - June 24th, 2022
David Gold, Environmental Polling Consortium

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on the links between climate change and extreme weather, beliefs about human-caused climate change and the efficacy of current steps to combat it, and the EPA’s role in regulating air pollution.

 

 

HEADLINES

  • NPR + Robert Wood Johnson Foundation + Harvard University - Over three-quarters of Americans say they’ve been affected by extreme weather events in the last five years, and most of those affected believe that climate change was a major factor; support for climate action is higher among those who have experienced extreme weather (Article, Report)
  • Economist + YouGov - Most Americans recognize that the climate is changing as the result of human activity, and few believe that steps currently being taken are enough to avoid the worst effects of it (Topline, Crosstabs)
  • Evergreen Action + Data for Progress - By wide margins, voters say that the EPA should be allowed to regulate air pollution that contributes to climate change and use the Clean Air Act to regulate air pollution from power plants (Article, Topline)

 

 

GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT

  • 78% of Americans support the federal government requiring the reduction of carbon emissions from power plants [NPR + RWJF + Harvard]

  • 67% of Americans support the federal government setting stricter fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks [NPR + RWJF + Harvard]

  • 65% of Americans believe that the government should do more to limit climate change [NPR + RWJF + Harvard]

  • 64% of Americans recognize that extreme weather events have a more severe impact on low-income communities in their state [NPR + RWJF + Harvard]

  • By a 62%-28% margin, voters agree that the EPA should use its authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate air pollution from power plants [Evergreen Action + Data for Progress]

  • By a 60%-24% margin, voters agree that the EPA should be allowed to regulate air pollution that contributes to climate change [Evergreen Action + Data for Progress]

  • 58% of Americans believe that climate change has played a “major role” in recent extreme weather events in North America [NPR + RWJF + Harvard]

 

 

FULL ROUNDUP

 

NPR + Robert Wood Johnson Foundation + Harvard University

Over three-quarters of Americans say they’ve been affected by extreme weather events in the last five years, and most of those affected believe that climate change was a major factor; support for climate action is higher among those who have experienced extreme weather (Article, Report)

 

This hefty new report examines how extreme weather is shaping the public’s views on climate change. Researchers found that 78% of Americans report experiencing some kind of extreme weather event in the past five years. Extreme temperatures, including extreme heat (51%) and severe cold weather or winter storms (45%), are the most common extreme weather events that Americans recall experiencing.

 

Previous research has indicated that experience with extreme weather events and hot, dry weather in particular make people more likely to recognize the seriousness of climate change. Consistent with those findings, this new report finds that people who have personally experienced extreme weather events are more likely to support a wide range of climate-friendly policies.

 

Among those who say they have experienced extreme weather:

  • 82% support the federal government requiring carbon emissions reductions from power plants, compared to 63% among Americans who haven’t experienced extreme weather and 78% among Americans overall

  • 77% see climate change as a “crisis” or “major problem,” compared to 46% among Americans who haven’t experienced extreme weather and 70% among Americans overall

  • 71% support the federal government setting stricter fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks, compared to 53% among Americans who haven’t experienced extreme weather and 67% of Americans overall

 

The impacts of extreme weather events on people’s support for climate action naturally hinge on the recognition that climate change is a factor behind those extreme weather events, so it’s notable that people are more likely to view climate change as a factor behind certain types of extreme weather than others. In particular, the public tends to believe that hot weather events are the most likely to be caused by climate change:

  • 71% of those who have experienced extremely hot weather or extreme heat waves believe that climate change was a major factor

  • 69% of those who have experienced rising sea levels or coastal flooding believe that climate change was a major factor

  • 68% of those who have experienced wildfires believe that climate change was a major factor

  • 65% of those who have experienced major droughts or water shortages believe that climate change was a major factor

  • 65% of those who have experienced major flooding believe that climate change was a major factor

  • 58% of those who have experienced hurricanes or severe storms believe that climate change was a major factor

  • 58% of those who have experienced severe cold weather or severe winter storms believe that climate change was a major factor

  • 49% of those who have experienced tornadoes believe that climate change was a major factor

 

The report also shows that Americans believe the federal government and corporate America have a near-equal role to play in combating climate change. When respondents were asked to choose which group can have the biggest impact in limiting climate change, the federal government (35%) and businesses and corporations (34%) were by far the top choices - well ahead of other options including individuals (17%), state governments (7%), community organizations (4%), and local governments (3%).

 

Economist + YouGov

Most Americans recognize that the climate is changing as the result of human activity, and few believe that steps currently being taken are enough to avoid the worst effects of it (Topline, Crosstabs)

 

The latest national tracking poll from The Economist and YouGov finds that a majority of Americans (54%) recognize that the world’s climate is changing as a result of human activity, compared to 25% who believe that the world’s climate is changing naturally and 8% who deny that the world’s climate is changing at all. A significant, double-digit percentage (13%) are still not sure enough to give an opinion on human-caused climate change.

 

Compared to older age groups, younger Americans are both more likely to say that humans are causing climate change (61% of those aged 18-29 and 55% of those aged 30-44) and more likely to report that they aren’t sure enough to say if humans are causing it (15% of those aged 18-29 and 19% of those aged 30-44) - making these younger generations prime targets for persuasion by climate advocates.

 

The poll also finds that the majority of Americans say they have either already personally experienced the effects of climate change (47%) or expect to in the future (10%).

 

And when asked about the possibility of avoiding the worst effects of climate change, just 13% of Americans believe that “we will be able to avoid the worst effects of climate change if we broadly carry on with the steps currently being taken to tackle it.” A far larger share (43%) believe that “we are still able to avoid the worst effects of climate change but it would need a drastic change in the steps taken to tackle it,” while 12% believe that it is “already too late” to avoid the worst effects of climate change. The remainder are either not sure (23%) or deny that the climate is changing (9%).

 

Evergreen Action + Data for Progress

By wide margins, voters say that the EPA should be allowed to regulate air pollution that contributes to climate change and use the Clean Air Act to regulate air pollution from power plants (Article, Topline)

 

Ahead of the Supreme Court ruling on West Virginia v. EPA, Evergreen Action and Data for Progress polled voters nationwide on the central issues at hand in the case.

 

The poll finds broad support (60% support / 24% oppose) for the EPA’s ability to regulate air pollution that contributes to climate change. This finding is consistent with other public polling; Pew, for example, has found that ensuring clean air and water is one of the most widely accepted responsibilities of the federal government. 

 

The poll from Evergreen Action and Data for Progress also simulated some of the debate around West Virginia v. EPA and found that, after reading arguments from both sides, voters support the EPA’s ability to regulate air pollution from power plants by a greater than two-to-one margin. 

 

Respondents read brief statements in support of EPA regulations on power plants (“Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA has the right to regulate harmful air pollution that contributes to climate change and worsens public health”) and in opposition to EPA regulations (“This is an overstep of the EPA and a government agency should not be allowed to impose regulations that could put power plants out of business”), and ended up supporting the EPA’s ability to regulate air pollution from power plants by a 62%-28% margin.

 

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