Issue: Coal

69% of Americans believe we should prioritize developing renewable energy alternatives. Just 30% believe the U.S. should prioritize increased fossil fuel production. However, 67% believe we should keep a mix of renewables and fossil fuels, as compared to phasing out fossil fuels completely (31%). Democrats are far more in favor of renewables—as compared to fossil fuels—than Republicans, although both sets of voters have internal divisions within them, too. 75% of Americans support America playing a role in international climate negotiations. 72% of Americans support the U.S. government encouraging wind and solar production, compared to 51% for electric vehicles, 35% for nuclear power, 33% for oil and gas drilling, and 20% for coal mining. 69% of Americans favor the U.S. taking steps to become carbon-neutral by 2050. This survey includes lots more related questions.

A majority of Georgia residents strongly support new solar and wind power capacity over new coal-fired plants and believe the state should set a carbon emissions reduction goal. 60% of Georgia residents support the creation of a state carbon emissions reduction goal, which includes 74% of Democrats, 52% of independents, and 45% of Republicans. 70% support new solar power and 64% support new wind power. Only 30% support new coal-fired power plants. 75% of Democrats, 55% of independents, and 49% of Republicans supported development of a climate resiliency plan for Georgia to prepare for the impacts of climate change.

Texas voters favor increasing renewable energy production. 73% believe Texas should increase solar energy production, and 68% believe the same for wind energy, compared to just 42% for natural gas, 28% for nuclear, and 18% for coal. 62% of Texans agree (“somewhat” or “strongly”) that Texas should aim to achieve 100% clean power. 61% agree it should be a land owner’s right to install wind turbines or solar panels on their property. 75% agree (“somewhat” or “strongly”) that wind and solar are reliable forms of energy. This poll includes many more related questions on energy policy.

Virginia voters favor solar and wind energy and feel modestly toward nuclear and natural gas. In this July 2021 survey found that 55% of Virginians think that more emphasis should be placed on solar energy. 45% feel the same about wind energy, 38% about natural gas, 37% about nuclear, and 23% about coal. 61% of Virginians agree with an “all the above” energy strategy that prioritizes clean energy. 60% support requiring Virginia utilities to participate in a regional transmission system aimed at “prompting reliability and price-control measures for consumers.” 62% support the major Virginia clean energy law (the “Virginia Clean Energy Economy Act”). Mostly, liberal and Democratic voters significantly support all these things, and conservative and Republican voters are somewhat split on these measures.

Climate Nexus’s national poll this month focuses on infrastructure but also touches on several other key debates over climate and clean energy.
The poll is also interesting in that it is one of the few public polls that puts clean energy front and center in its description of the American Jobs Plan, and even connects the bill to a 100% clean economy goal. Consistent with other polling that has found that climate and clean energy components enhance support for the American Jobs Plan, Climate Nexus finds that voters have overwhelmingly positive reactions to big investment in clean energy infrastructure.
Voters support the idea of “multi-trillion-dollar economic stimulus legislation that prioritizes investments in clean energy infrastructure and technologies” by a 62%-29% margin, and continue to support it by a 56%-44% margin after learning that it would likely need to pass with no Republican votes.
The reason that the proposal enjoys majority support, even when presented as partisan legislation, is that Democratic voters care more about passing clean energy legislation than Republican voters care about stopping it: Democrats support passing a clean energy bill on a hypothetical party-line vote by a 91%-9% margin, while Republican voters oppose it by an 81%-19% margin.