Location: Colorado

This post includes a roundup of climate + environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from this week’s public polls – including new polling on the Build Back Better plan nationally and in key states and new polling on extreme weather events and government action on climate.
 
HEADLINES

Navigator – Voters support the full Build Back Better plan by a roughly two-to-one margin, with intensity clearly on the side of supporters; voters see it as an “urgent” priority when they learn it’s tied to the bipartisan infrastructure bill (Topline)
BlueGreen Alliance – Jobs, water infrastructure, and “made in America” provisions drive support for the Build Back Better plan in AZ, CO, VA, & WV; only half of voters in these key states are hearing about the plan (Release, Deck, AZ Memo, CO Memo, VA Memo, WV Memo)
Quinnipiac – Most Americans say the U.S. isn’t doing enough to address climate change; the Build Back Better plan has majority support even when described as “a spending bill on social programs” (Release)
Monmouth – Nearly two-thirds of Americans support government action to reduce climate change; most see climate change as a major factor in recent western wildfires and eastern floods (Release, Crosstabs)

Young Coloradans believe in a future where everyone is treated equally, resources are abundant, and we use innovative and creative solutions to solve big problems such as climate change and racial inequality. 57% of all youth named “equality” as a top value, and 44% named “relationship with Earth” as a top value. Among BIPOC youth, 60% named “technology and innovation” as a top value (with 52% naming “equality” as a top issue). Top issues named by all youth include: racial justice (60%), mental health (58%), healthcare (56%), education (40%) and climate change (40%). Many young people are unsure of where to start to create change but desire to be more involved and learn through experience. Young people strongly value the impact of voting, yet also believe it is insufficient on its own to create change. This report includes lots more specific survey questions and answers.

This post includes a roundup of climate + environment headlines from this week’s public polls, good data points to highlight, and a full roundup with key takeaways from each poll – including lots of timely new polling on the Build Back Better plan.
HEADLINES

Yahoo + YouGov – Americans support Biden’s “$3.5 trillion infrastructure plan” by double digits, and a plurality support using the budget reconciliation process to overcome a Republican filibuster (Topline, Crosstabs)
POLITICO + Morning Consult – Voters widely support tax breaks for renewable energy in the reconciliation bill, even when it’s framed as a Democratic proposal (Topline, Crosstabs)
Data for Progress + Invest in America – Voters support the Build Back Better plan by a two-to-one margin after reading an explanation of its components; grid modernization continues to be one of the plan’s most popular provisions (Release, Topline)
LCV + Climate Power – Majorities of voters across Democratic-held U.S. Senate battleground states (AZ, CO, GA, NH + NV) support the Build Back Better plan after a brief description, and majorities also reject the idea of trimming the bill down; top messages focus on jobs, pollution/health, and lowering utility bills (Deck, Memo, AZ Topline, CO Topline, GA Topline, NH Topline, NV Topline)
Navigator – Climate is rising as a national priority; two in five voters say that weather in their community this summer has been different from past years, and most who have experienced unusual weather cite climate change as the reason (Release, Deck, Topline)
Data for Progress – “Green jobs” are a confusing concept for voters (Memo)
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication – Moderates have similar reactions to “climate change” and “extreme weather” as the rationale for emergency preparedness actions and policies, but there are benefits to using “extreme weather” with conservative audiences (Article)

Polling done by Data For Progress in 11 states in August 2020 and released in September 2020 shows widespread popularity of the THRIVE Agenda, a legislative package for economic renewal with eight pillars that centers racial, economic, and climate justice. Polling was done in these states: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. 
A majority of voters in each state support each of the eight pillars as do a majority of the voters in 40 competitive House races that were also polled.