Public Resource
Poll: Pipelines, Protests and the Presidential Race How U.S. Voters are Thinking about Climate and Energy Policy during the Pandemic
- Voters see a role for natural gas on climate—but with conditions. Almost half of U.S. registered voters believe the industry must do more to reduce emissions in order for natural gas to play a role in climate change.
- Most U.S. voters support giving states more power to block new oil and gas pipelines, but don’t think it will help in the climate fight. Despite supporting states’ and local government’s power to block pipelines, 59% believe that halting pipelines won’t have a significant impact on climate change.
- Environmental/safety commitments on pipelines are more important to voters than economic ones. When asked what actions companies could take that would make them more supportive of pipelines, voters in both parties were more likely to pick actions involving the environment’s safety than those involving jobs.
- Voters are less likely to see climate change as a crisis now than before the pandemic. Concerns about COVID-19 and the recent call to action on racial justice issues have eclipsed concerns over climate change when compared to 2019.