This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on Trump’s handling of costs and energy issues, new polling on energy efficiency, and new polling about extreme weather and its impacts on the home insurance market.

Headlines

Climate Power – Voters are losing faith in Trump to handle energy prices [Memo]

Data for Progress – Voters are motivated to take advantage of energy efficiency tax credits and rebates, as they believe that energy efficiency upgrades would lower their utility bills and raise their home values but are concerned about the upfront costs [Release, Crosstabs]

Insurance Fairness Project + Data for Progress – Voters say that climate change is contributing to the rise in home insurance costs; while voters have overwhelmingly positive attitudes about clean energy companies, oil and gas companies are underwater [Release, Crosstabs]

Key Takeaways

Trump is losing credibility on costs. While he was elected in the hopes that he could tackle inflation and bring back the pre-pandemic economy, voters are losing faith in Trump on economic issues as his first months in office have seen persistent inflation, new tariffs, and a slumping stock market. This shift is clear in new data released by Climate Power, which saw around a 10-point drop in voters’ confidence in Trump to handle various economic issues – including jobs, energy costs, and gas prices – between December and March.

Declining trust in Trump on costs is particularly important in debates around energy production, as he tries to convince voters that he can bring down electricity costs by ramping up oil and gas drilling while eliminating clean energy investments. In research conducted by the EPC shortly after Trump’s inauguration, we found that messages that focused on the cost of living were generally most effective in increasing opposition to Trump’s anti-environmental executive orders. These arguments are likely to be even more effective now that the bubble of economic optimism that he brought into office is dissipating.

Voters across political lines recognize that energy efficiency means lower household costs. Data for Progress finds that voters of all political persuasions believe that energy-efficient appliances and other energy efficiency upgrades would both lower their monthly utility bills and increase their home values. And with upfront costs clearly ranking as the biggest barrier preventing Americans from making these changes, voters are eager to take advantage of any new tax credits or rebates to help cover the initial costs.

With IRA tax credits being targeted for repeal, it’s encouraging to see that voters associate these kinds of incentives with cost savings. However, there is clearly much more work to be done to raise awareness about the cost-saving programs that are under threat. It’s a well-known rule in politics that it’s dangerous to repeal investments that directly benefit consumers, as Republicans felt acutely in the first Trump midterm after their attempted repeal of the Affordable Care Act, but the danger is only there if voters know what’s being taken away from them.

Good Data Points to Highlight

• [Energy Efficiency] 81% of voters support the U.S. encouraging energy efficiency improvements such as LED light bulbs, Energy Star-rated appliances, new insulation, and windows [Data for Progress]
• [Energy Efficiency] 71% of voters, including 58% of Republicans, support energy efficiency tax credits after reading a brief description of the tax credits that were included in the Inflation Reduction Act [Data for Progress]
• [Energy Efficiency] 64% of voters believe that installing energy-efficient appliances and making energy efficiency upgrades would decrease their utility bills [Data for Progress]
• [Energy Efficiency] 57% of voters believe that installing energy-efficient appliances and making energy efficiency upgrades would increase their home’s property value [Data for Progress]
• [Clean Energy] 71% of voters support the U.S. encouraging renewable energy investments, such as solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal [Data for Progress]
• [Clean Energy] 65% of voters have favorable attitudes about the clean energy industry, compared to just 21% who feel unfavorably about it [Insurance Fairness Project + Data for Progress]
• [Extreme Weather + Home Insurance] 72% of voters say that the increase in climate change-fueled extreme weather events is at least “somewhat” responsible for recent changes in the home insurance sector, including spikes in home insurance rates and insurance companies leaving state insurance markets [Insurance Fairness Project + Data for Progress]