This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including on prioritizing clean energy sources over fossil fuels, voters supporting investments in clean energy and energy efficiency, and clean energy in key states. 

See this webpage for links to all the following resources.

HEADLINES

Pew – Americans overwhelmingly agree that the country should prioritize clean energy sources over fossil fuels; Americans expect the clean energy transition to have a positive impact on jobs, but are more pessimistic about the impact on consumer costs [Website, Full Report, Topline]

Yale + GMU – Voters across party lines support investments in clean energy and energy efficiency, and majorities support clean energy projects like solar and wind farms in their own area; clean energy remains less politically polarizing than climate change [Website, Full Report]

[Battleground States] LCV + Climate Power – Climate and the environment are clear strengths for President Biden over potential opponents in the 2024 general election, and most voters say that they are more likely to support Biden when they hear about his specific climate-related stances and accomplishments [Deck, Memo]

[AZ, GA, & WI] Climate Power – There continues to be clear opportunity to boost support for clean energy in key states, with battleground voters shifting in favor of the Biden administration’s clean energy plan in response to positive messaging [AZ Deck, GA Deck, WI Deck]

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Clean energy is a winning issue across the electorate. Pew finds that solar and wind are the most popular energy sources with the American public, and majorities of Republicans continue to support expanding solar and wind energy despite a drop in Republican support for clean energy since President Biden took office. Additionally, Yale and George Mason find that majorities of voters across party lines support investments in renewable energy research, renewable energy jobs programs, and tax rebates for energy efficiency, rooftop solar, and electric appliances.
   
• Consumer costs are the key front in the debate over the clean energy transition. Pew finds that Americans are inclined to believe that the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy will have a positive impact in important areas such as jobs, air quality, and water quality. However, more Americans believe that the transition will have a negative than positive impact on the prices that they pay for energy and everyday goods. And in polls of battleground states, Climate Power continues to find that voters are pessimistic about the short-term impacts of the clean energy transition on consumer costs. Convincing the public that expanding clean energy will save their household money in the short term is critical for easing American’ biggest source of hesitation about the transition. 
   
• President Biden is well positioned to go on offense with his climate and clean energy record. In the first major poll we’ve seen about climate and clean energy as issues in the 2024 presidential election, Climate Power finds that battleground voters trust President Biden over Republican opposition by wide margins on climate change, clean energy, and the environment. This is consistent with what we saw in polling on the 2022 midterms, when climate change and the environment consistently ranked alongside abortion rights as Democrats’ biggest generic issue advantages. Additionally, Climate Power finds that there is opportunity to increase Biden’s standing by providing voters with basic information about his stances and accomplishments on climate-related issues.
   

GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT

• [Clean Energy] By a greater than two-to-one margin, Americans say that the country should prioritize developing alternative energy sources (67%) over expanding fossil fuel production (32%) [Pew]
   
• [Clean Energy] 82% of Americans support expanding solar panel farms as a source of U.S. energy [Pew]
   
• [Clean Energy] 79% of voters support funding more research into renewable energy sources [Yale + GMU]
   
• [Clean Energy] 75% of Americans support expanding wind farms as a source of U.S. energy [Pew]
   
• [Clean Energy] 69% of voters support transitioning the U.S. economy (including electric utilities, transportation, buildings, and industry) from fossil fuels to 100% clean energy by 2050 [Yale + GMU]
   
• [Clean Energy] 66% of voters support requiring electric utilities to produce 100% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2035 [Yale + GMU]
   
• [Clean Energy] 66% of voters say that developing sources of clean energy should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress [Yale + GMU]
   
• [Carbon Emissions] 74% of voters support regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant [Yale + GMU]
   
• [Carbon Emissions] 68% of voters support requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a carbon tax and using the money to reduce other taxes [Yale + GMU]
   
• [Corporate Accountability] 70% of voters say that corporations and industry should do more to address global warming [Yale + GMU]
   
• [Climate Action] 54% of voters say that global warming should be a high or very high priority for Congress [Yale + GMU]