Location: Virginia

The Build Back Better plan has majority support in key congressional swing districts, and ‘polluters pay’ laws and renewable energy investments are especially popular. These district-specific polls show that the Build Back Better plan has majority support in two very tough Democratic-held congressional districts. After reading a brief description that outlines the price tag and major provisions, Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux’s constituents in GA-07 support the plan by a 54%-44% margin and Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s constituents in VA-07 support it by a 53%-44% margin. Specific clean energy provisions poll even higher, as voters in GA-07 support measures to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy by a 64%-33% margin and voters in VA-07 support these measures by a 62%-34% margin. One finding from these polls that is broadly applicable regardless of the location you focus on is the salience of corporate accountability on climate change. When presented with the idea of reinstating ‘polluters pay’ laws to “require corporate polluters to fund the clean up of their industry’s toxic pollution and set a fee on oil and gas companies that emit methane,” voters back the idea by overwhelming margins in both GA-07 (72% support / 26% oppose) and VA-07 (68% support / 27% oppose).

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)

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.

Virginia voters largely support Democratic policy proposals; they’re also ideologically moderate overall (based on self-described ideology). Based on a 2021 phone survey, Virginia voters on the whole view Republican elected officials as more conservative than they view Democratic elected officials as liberal. On environmental policy, a strong majority of Virginia voters overall support renewable energy investments (82%). 65% support/strongly support a “Green New Deal” to address climate change by investing government funds in green jobs and infrastructure, and 53% support/strongly support a carbon tax or cap-and-trade program to reduce carbon emissions. Republicans strongly support expanding offshore oil and gas drilling in U.S. waters (83%), which is opposed by both Democratic voters (72%) and independents (63%). The survey also asked about healthcare, immigration, and economic policy.             

Americans are worried about “triple threat” of hurricanes, COVID, & climate change. 52% of Black Americans and 49% of Latinos/Latinas say they are more worried about hurricane season this year amidst the pandemic. Half of adults in southeastern coastal states say they are more worried about hurricane season this year and 66% say addressing climate change should be a priority.