Resource Type: Polling & Surveys

A broad majority young Americans understand anthropogenic climate change, but many are struggling to identify individual practices they can take to improve global sustainability, according to a survey of 15-25 year olds on climate change, environmental justice, and related public policy initiatives.

38% call climate change a crisis, 31% say it’s a problem, 12% a concern, 9% a non-issue, and 8% label it fiction.
While 44% of young Americans are either “very” (21%) or “somewhat” (23%) optimistic the world will successfully address climate change, 47% are either “somewhat” (12%) or “very” (25%) pessimistic
Respodents expressed a strong desire to do their part in mitigating climate change, but many were unsure how:
27% of respondents say they have reduced their usage of single-use plastics, 14% take alternate transportation, and 12% have curtailed electrical use. Another 14% have participated in a march or protest, and 10% have volunteered to create change. 67% have shared climate information on social media. (89% report they get the majority of their news from social media.)
67% of respondents report they do not believe U.S. residents are equally protected against exposure to pollution and other ecological hazards and 37% characterize environmental justice in the U.S. as “extremely inequitable.”
The survey also found significant support for many of President Biden’s environmental actions.

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.