Arizona

While partisanship remains strong among the rural electorate, more than one-third (37%) of rural voters appear "swingable" in future elections, depending on resonant policy proposals and messaging. Three messaging points — lowering prices; bringing good-paying jobs to local communities; and a populist message focused on corporate greed — received such broad support that they rivaled voters’ agreement on core values like family and freedom. Read additional analysis in the Daily Yonder's coverage.

Latino voters in battleground states and districts overwhelmingly support the Build Back Better plan’s climate and clean energy provisions. All of the 11 Build Back Better provisions tested in the poll have overwhelming support (76%+), and several climate and clean energy provisions rank among the most popular elements of the bill whether looking at overall net support or intensity (“strong support”). Particularly appealing provisions include: lowering energy costs by making homes, schools, buildings, and vehicles more energy efficient (89% total support, including 55% strong support); creating millions of additional clean energy jobs in fast-growing industries like wind and solar (87% total support, including 52% strong support); making oil and gas companies pay their fair share for the pollution they create (86% total support, including 55% strong support); providing tax incentives to make clean energy sources like wind and solar power widely available at lower costs (86% total support, including 51% strong support; rewarding electric utilities that generate more electricity from clean energy sources like wind and solar (85% total support, including 50% strong support). (The poll sampled Latino voters statewide in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Nevada, as well as Latino voters in competitive U.S. House districts in California and Texas).

Residents of US western states continue to prioritize conservation of the land, water, wildlife, and their ability to enjoy the outdoors. People in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho were surveyed for this poll. 97% of westerners believe the rising cost of living is a serious issue, and 89% believe the price of gasoline is a serious issue. There has been a 28-point increase since 2016 in the share of westerners who say that people moving to their state is a serious problem (from 47% to 75%). 50% of westerns say that the current shortage of water in the west is a serious crisis. The plurality of westerners (38%) say that businesses use the most water in their state, as compared to farmers and ranchers (34%) and households (25%).

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on conservation, climate, and energy issues in Western states + new national polling on the Inflation Reduction Act  + state-level polling in Minnesota about the state’s new clean energy bill and other environmental priorities.

Overwhelming majorities of voters in western states support pro-conservation policies. Wildfires and droughts are especially salient concerns throughout the region. The 2022 poll surveyed registered voters in eight western states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Majorities now say that inadequate water supplies (70%, up 30 points since 2011), the loss of natural areas (55%, +19 since 2011), the loss of habitat for fish and wildlife (55%, +17 since 2011), pollution of rivers, lakes, and streams (54%, +12 since 2011), and climate change (52%, +25 since 2011) are “extremely” or “very” serious problems in their state. Western voters are most acutely concerned about droughts and reduced snowpack (59% “very” concerned) and more frequent and severe wildfires (52% “very” concerned). Nearly three-quarters of western voters (74%) say that drought is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in their state, an increase of 22 points since 2016. For wildfires, 91% say that “uncontrollable wildfires that threaten homes and property” are a serious problem in their state - an increase of 14 points since 2016.

Arizona voters widely back the Inflation Reduction Act and its clean energy provisions. Arizona voters support the Inflation Reduction Act by a two-to-one margin (60% support / 30% oppose) after reading a brief description of its major provisions and projected impact on the national deficit. 72% of Arizona voters support the Inflation Reduction Act’s provision to lower American energy bills by providing tax credits and other financial incentives for clean and efficient energy technologies. 66% of Arizona voters support the Inflation Reduction Act’s provision to ramp up production of American-made clean energy technologies like electric vehicles and solar panels and strengthen our energy supply chains.