This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including polls on extreme weather, Republicans' views, drought, and more.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including polling on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, extreme weather, trust in science, and more.

Few Republicans express deep concern about climate change, but most still support specific policies to curb its impact. Just 10% of Republicans say climate change is a “top concern” for them personally and only 17% believe that human activity contributes a “great deal” to climate change. However, clear majorities support specific policies to address climate change: 88% support planting about a trillion trees to absorb carbon emissions; 73% support providing a tax credit to businesses for developing carbon capture and storage; 58% support tougher restrictions on power plant carbon emissions. An additional 50% of Republicans support taxing corporations based on their carbon emissions and 49% support tougher fuel efficiency standards for cars.

Less than half of Republicans are confident in science. 64% of U.S. adults say they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in science (the other response options given were “some” or “very little”), including 79% of Democrats, 65% of independents, and just 45% of Republicans. The last time Gallup felt the need to ask this question, back in 1975, 70% of adults said they had at least “quite a lot” of confidence in science and Republicans were actually a bit more confident in science (72%) than Democrats (67%).

• 70% of respondents to a recent U.S. survey are aware of the scientific consensus that climate change is largely caused by people, and that the world isn't on track to reach the temperature reduction targets of the Paris climate agreement -- suggesting Americans' understanding of climate change has increased in recent years, and particularly over the last five years.
• Republicans had the lowest share of correct answers, but a slight majority (52%) were aware of both the scientific consensus and the reality that the world hasn't made enough progress toward the Paris targets.
• The poll found some significant demographic differences:
  •  80% of people with college degrees or higher answering the question correctly, compared to 73% of people with some college and 65% of those with a high school degree or less.
  • 77% of urban respondents and 73% of suburban respondents answered the question correctly, compared to 61% of rural respondents.
• The poll found no significant differences by age, income or region of the country.

Hawaiian organizer and strategist Kaniela Ing describes his theory of politics in this podcast episode. Kaniela is the Climate Justice Director with People’s Action, former state legislator, and former candidate for U.S. Congress. He argues that building power only happens through organizing, and insider lobbying only works to “wield” power, even though traditional advocacy organizations often view power only through lobbying. Kaniela says that growing up in a working-class, conservative household showed him that progressive organizers need to be understanding and empathetic and can win working-class Republicans over to progressive causes. He also describes (harmful) capitalist, colonial influences on Hawaiian local economies.             

A May 2021 poll found high support for a Climate Conservation Corps and medium support for nature-based climate solutions. Among likely voters surveyed, 83% of Democrats, 67% of Independents, and even 50% of Republicans support “government investments in a new “Climate Conservation Corps.” 80% of Democrats, 59% of Independents, and 41% of Republicans support “ocean climate action, which is harnessing the natural ability of the ocean to fight climate change.” Voters showed similar levels of support for “nature-based solutions to climate change.”             

Three-quarters of Florida respondents support funding “natural infrastructure” (solutions to reduce flood risk, such as restored beaches, wetlands and marshes) as part of the American Jobs Plan. Natural infrastructure solutions were supported by 86% of respondents, including 82% of independents, 81% of Republicans, 87% of coastal respondents and 88% of inland respondents. 89% of respondents supported preventive measures to reduce the impact of natural disasters before they occur. There was little divide among rural and suburban respondents. 85% of suburban respondents supported preventative measures, compared to 84% of rural respondents.             

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including polling on infrastructure policy, conservative clean energy beliefs, and conservation as a bipartisan priority.