Resources
Search below for resources covering the intersection of climate engagement, social science and data analytics.
RESULTS
Poll: Voters Support Holding Fossil Fuel Companies Accountable for Addressing Climate Change
Voters widely support corporate climate accountability along the lines of the Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act. The legislation has the backing of nearly two-thirds of voters (65% support/25% oppose) after it’s described as “a new bill to impose a $500 billion fee on major fossil fuel companies as partial compensation for the damages caused by these companies’ emissions that have contributed to climate change.” Support is sharply driven by partisanship, with Democrats (83% support/9% oppose) and independents (65% support/25% oppose) both much more supportive than Republicans (43% support/42% oppose). However, Republican voters don’t reject the idea outright. In fact, there’s a high degree of asymmetric polarization with Democrats caring far more about passing the legislation (50% strongly support) than Republicans care about stopping it (24% strongly oppose).
More than two-thirds of California voters expect extreme weather swings to become more common due to climate change, and Californians are deeply concerned about the water situation in the West. 81% of California voters say that it’s important for the state to continue enforcing water conservation policies for residential, commercial, and agricultural water users - including 52% who say it’s “very” important. 69% of California voters expect extreme swings in the state’s weather to become more common because of climate change. 60% of California voters support reducing water deliveries from the Colorado River.
Patagonia tops the list of the country’s most respected brands. Fossil fuel companies - especially ExxonMobil and BP - fare poorly. Patagonia scored 83.5, an “excellent” score. Exxon was 82nd on the list, scoring 68.9, a “fair” score. BP was 92nd, scoring 63.5, a “poor” score.
Poll: Who is most likely to talk about climate change?
Democrats, younger Americans, and college educated Americans are the mostly likely to discuss global warming with their friends and family. Republicans of all ideologies are the least likely to discuss the issue, even as non-conservative Republicans generally support climate action. 68% of liberal Democrats discuss climate with friends of family “often” or “occasionally”, while just 11% of conservative Republicans and 24% of rural Americans do.
Can Americans Talk About Their History Without False Antagonism?
Americans think they disagree about their national history more than they actually do. Republicans think Democrats want to teach a history exclusively defined by shameful oppression and guilt, while Democrats believe Republicans want to overlook grave injustices like slavery and racism—yet both impressions are incorrect. For example, the proportion of Republicans who agree that “Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks should be taught as examples of Americans who fought for equality” is more than two times more than Democrats think (93% versus 35%). In another example, about twice as many Democrats believe “students should not be made to feel guilty or personally responsible for the errors of prior generations” than Republicans think (83% versus 43%). How can we close that perception gap? First, correcting misperceptions can reduce perception gaps. Second, we can all personally do our best to reduce our own perception gaps. Third, enter into dialogue with someone with a different political viewpoint. Fourth, help build an alternative social network ecosystem of people with a variety of viewpoints.
The repeal of job-producing clean energy investments is one of many elements that voters find deeply concerning about congressional Republicans’ debt ceiling proposal. 70% of voters find it concerning that congressional Republicans’ proposed budget plan would repeal investments in clean energy that have already created more than 100,000 jobs.
Poll: Broad Climate Change Concern in Florida Linked With Recent Extreme Weather
Nine in ten Floridians recognize that climate change is happening, and most support making solar the state’s primary source of energy. 90% of Floridians recognize that climate change is happening, including 65% who say that climate change is caused largely by human activity. 74% of Floridians say that climate change has them concerned about the well-being of future generations in Florida. 71% of Floridians agree that the state government should do more to address the impacts of climate change. 58% of Floridians choose solar when asked to choose the primary form of energy production they want Florida to support in the future, compared to just 10% who want to continue using gas as the state’s primary energy source.
California voters, including those in swing congressional districts (CDs), understand that climate change impacts the weather and the state economy. 61% of California voters say that climate change is either a “crisis” or serious problem, including 53% in swing CDs. 60% of California voters say that climate change plays a major role in extreme weather events, including 53% in swing CDs.
Poll: Most Black, Hispanic Adults Very Worried About Tainted Water
Large majorities of Black and Hispanic Americans worry about the pollution of their drinking water. 56% of all American adults worry “a great deal” about pollution in drinking water, but 76% of Black adults and 70% of Hispanic adults worry “a great deal,” compared to 48% of white adults who do.
Trust in Media 2023: What news outlets do Americans trust most for information?
The divide between Democrats and Republicans on which news sources are trustworthy remains stark. Americans are 53 points more likely to call The Weather Channel trustworthy as they are to call it untrustworthy. It's also the only outlet that YouGov asked about that more Democrats (+64) and Republicans (+47) trust than the shares who distrust it. The Weather Channel is just one of two outlets polled about that a majority of Republicans trust; the other one is Fox News (56% of Republicans trust it, with a net trust score among them of +41). When it comes to the national rankings, The Weather Channel is followed by national public broadcaster PBS (+30), the U.K. news outlet BBC (+29), and The Wall Street Journal (+24) in national trust. This year's poll has the same group in the top four as last year's poll — even with the additions to this year's poll.
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