This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on utility costs, Trump’s handling of energy costs and other energy and environmental issues, climate change impacts, and federal funding cuts.

Most Americans say that their energy bills are higher now than they were a year ago, and there is widespread confusion and dissatisfaction around utilities. Utility bills remain a major cost of living concern, as three in five Americans (62%) say that their electrical and/or gas bill has increased compared to a year ago. Further, around three-quarters (73%) are concerned that their electrical and/or gas bill will increase this year. Most Americans are familiar with their local utilities, but few know much about how their utility sources its energy or how it’s regulated. Around seven in ten (69%) say that they’re at least “somewhat” familiar with their local power and/or gas utilities, though only around half (47%) are at least “somewhat” familiar with how their local utilities source their energy. Just 12% say that they’re “very” familiar with the energy sources that their utility uses. Additionally, less than half of Americans (39%) are familiar with the state or local regulatory agency that oversees their local power or gas utilities.

The majority of voters say that Elon Musk’s involvement in the Trump administration makes them feel more negatively about Trump; climate/environment remains Democrats’ top issue strength over Republicans in voter trust. Most voters have unfavorable attitudes about Musk (38% favorable / 56% unfavorable). Voters also tend to strongly dislike him, with 46% saying that they feel “very” unfavorably about him. By a 56%-21% margin, voters find it more concerning that “Republicans are attempting to cut Social Security and Medicaid, eliminate the Department of Education, and ban abortion nationwide” (56%) than that “the Project 2025 agenda is being implemented” (21%). By a 46%-29% margin, voters find it more concerning that “Republicans are attempting to cut Social Security and Medicaid, eliminate the Department of Education, and ban abortion nationwide” (46%) than that “Elon Musk is being given too much power and is recklessly cutting critical programs” (29%). By a 46%-27% margin, voters find it more concerning that “Elon Musk is being given too much power and is recklessly cutting critical programs” (46%) than that “the Project 2025 agenda is being implemented” (27%).

Most voters say that the U.S. is already feeling the effects of climate change, and two-thirds expect their area to be impacted. 56% of voters recognize that the U.S. has already started experiencing the effects of climate change, and only 15% believe that the U.S. won’t be impacted in the future. An additional 10% expect that the U.S. will start feeling the effects of climate change in the next 5-10 years, and an additional 12% expect that the U.S. will feel the effects 10+ years from now. Only 15% of voters believe that the U.S. will not experience the effects of climate change on any timeframe. Majorities of Democrats (72%) and independents (58%) agree that the U.S. is being impacted by climate change right now, as do a plurality of Republicans (39%). And while less than half of Republicans say that the U.S. is currently being impacted, only around one-quarter of Republicans (27%) say that the country won’t be impacted in the future. The large majority of voters expect that their own area will be impacted by climate change. Around two-thirds of voters (68%), including large majorities of Democrats (85%) and independents (73%) as well as half of Republicans (50%), believe that climate change will at least “somewhat” affect their own area.

Confidence in Trump to handle energy issues has dropped sharply, as many blame him for rising energy costs; voters are deeply troubled when they hear about his anti-environmental actions so far. 74% of voters are concerned about the Trump administration getting rid of rules that would have protected drinking water from “forever chemicals”. 73% of voters are concerned about the Trump administration stopping holding corporate polluters accountable for harming the environment and people’s health and coaching them on how to avoid clean air rules. 71% of voters are concerned about the Trump administration eliminating a record number of clean air and water protections and rolling back rules that were already reducing pollution from power plants and vehicles. 71% of voters are concerned about the Trump administration ending programs to improve people’s health in communities with high levels of pollution that can cause asthma, heart problems, and other illnesses.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on Americans’ top environmental concerns, climate attitudes, and reactions to the ongoing rollback of public lands protections.

Most Americans say that the country is doing too little to protect the environment, though the partisan divide is larger than ever. Nearly three in five Americans (57%) say that the country is doing too little to protect the environment, which is an increase of seven points since last year (50%). Additionally, over the past year, the percentage saying that the country is doing too much to protect the environment has dropped by nearly half (from 19% in 2024 to 11% now). The percentage of Democrats saying that the country is doing “too little” to protect the environment (91%) is higher than ever before in Gallup’s tracking going back to 2001, while the percentage of Republicans saying that the country is doing too little on the environment (22%) is the lowest that it’s ever been in Gallup’s tracking.

Americans, including Trump voters, widely oppose the sell-off or closure of public lands. 74% of Americans, including 64% of Trump voters, oppose the closure of public lands in an effort to reduce federal spending. 71% of Americans, including 61% of Trump voters, oppose selling existing public lands to the highest private bidder. 63% of Americans oppose layoffs of staff from federal agencies that manage public lands in an effort to reduce federal spending. 62% of Americans oppose reducing funding to the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other public land management agencies.

Water pollution remains Americans’ top environmental concern. Record-high numbers of Americans see climate change as a “serious threat” to them personally and say that its effects are already happening. 63% of Americans recognize that the effects of global warming have already begun, a record high in Gallup’s tracking. 48% of Americans expect that global warming will pose a “serious threat” to them in their lifetime, a record high in Gallup’s tracking. 57% of Americans say that the country is doing too little to protect the environment, compared to just 11% who say that the country is doing too much.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on Americans’ energy and vehicle preferences, new polling on polluter accountability amid Trump’s push to grant oil and gas companies legal immunity for their climate damages, and new polling of AAPI Americans.