Resource Library

This post includes a roundup of climate + environment headlines from this week’s public polls, good data points to highlight, and a full roundup including key takeaways from each poll.
HEADLINES

YouGov – Partisanship drives Americans’ perceptions of weather (Article)
Navigator – The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework remains popular (Release, Slide Deck)
POLITICO/Morning Consult – Renewable energy investment ranks among the most popular provisions in the Build Back Better budget; infrastructure has the public’s attention, but the IPCC report hasn’t broken through (Crosstabs)
Data for Progress + Invest in America – Grid modernization is an overwhelmingly popular selling point for the Build Back Better budget (Release, Topline)
Data for Progress – Voters widely support corporate climate accountability along the lines of the Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act (Memo, Topline)

A large majority of likely voters in battleground congressional districts support federal investments in infrastructure and clean energy. 70% of likely voters surveyed (in 9 total congressional districts across 7 states) support the recently-passed federal infrastructure investments in roads, bridges, pipes, transportation, and electric power. Support was polarized: 93% of Democrats expressed support, compared to 64% of independents and 48% of Republicans. On a separate question, 66% of all likely voters support making additional climate and clean energy investments (with similarly polarized support). Similar levels of all likely voters also support the $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” package proposal. Further, 50% of voters said they would be more likely to vote against a politician who opposed the Build Back Better proposal.             

This post includes a roundup of climate + environment headlines from this week’s public polls, good data points to highlight, and a full roundup including key takeaways from each poll.
HEADLINES

Navigator – There is stable majority support for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, and voters increasingly recognize infrastructure as a priority for Biden and Congress (Topline)
Data for Progress + Invest in America – Details boost support for the reconciliation proposal; school modernization, grid modernization, and long-term care investments are especially popular (Release, Topline)
Fox News + POLITICO/Morning Consult – Reactions to the reconciliation package are heavily dependent on framing; voters have a mixed reaction to $3.5 trillion in “social infrastructure” from Democrats in Congress but widely support $3.5 trillion in “spending to address climate change, health care, and childcare” (Fox News Release, POLITICO/Morning Consult Topline, POLITICO/Morning Consult Crosstabs)
Quinnipiac – Most Americans believe recent extreme weather events are related to climate change; concerns about extreme weather are driven sharply by partisanship and geography (Release)
Data for Progress – Voters support ending fossil fuel subsidies, especially when subsidies are framed as unnecessary “bailouts” for hugely profitable corporations (Release, Topline)

A June 2021 poll found that 57% of Montana voters support the Biden Administration’s American Jobs Plan creating a national path to achieving 100 percent clean electricity by 2035. However, the support is very polarized: 95% of Democrats said they’re supportive, along with 53% of Independents, but just 32% of Republicans. Voters showed similar levels of support when asked about green investments, jobs, and consumer incentives associated with the American Jobs Plan.             

Understanding the root causes of the climate crisis is important when thinking about the type of rigor that is required to organize for social change. The implications of understanding the systems of oppression that have led to climate crisis will inform our response to it, so it is relevant for advocates like us to explore this to ensure we are developing programming that is unapologetic about building the people-power necessary to win. People-power requires we understand how ALL people are affected by the issue at hand.
As we’ve seen the words just and equitable pop up ever more frequently over the last year, I often think about what that means for those who are the most vulnerable to climate disasters. A group of people I seldom hear spoken about are our comrades who are victims of the carceral system. This month we honor Black people and communities who fight for liberation and environmental justice. This month we celebrate Black August.
In this Insight, we will discuss Black August and its importance, racial capitalism and its connection to the climate crisis, the interlocking systems of oppression we face, prisons as sites of environmental justice, and abolition as a path forward.

Key Takeaways:

The large majority of voters respond favorably to the Build Back Better reconciliation bill when its main elements (including the cost and tax provisions) are presented to them.

Most voters say that climate change is responsible for extreme weather events and there is strong majority support for action on climate change. Voters say they are more likely to support the Build Back Better package because of its provisions on clean energy, climate change, and environmental justice.

The provisions of the package that lower costs for working families and seniors, including energy costs, are important to swing voters and offer a winning response to criticisms that the Build Back Better package will fuel inflation.

There also is a winning rebuttal to the “tax-and-spend” criticism of the package, focusing on the facts that (a) the legislation would be paid for by making the wealthy and multinational corporations pay their fair share; (b) no one under $400,000 will pay more in taxes; and (c) the long-term benefits will outweigh the costs because the proposed investments will grow the economy, create jobs, and help tackle climate change.

 
(This poll was collected by the Environmental Polling Consortium. If you would like to learn more about the EPC and receive weekly polling insights, please contact epc@partnershipproject.org)