Resource Type: Polling & Surveys

It’s Earth Day! Of course, Earth Day is a great media and organizing ‘hook’. But how do you find similar focal points throughout the rest of the year? The infrastructure plan Biden unveiled several weeks ago (and which could pass by a September budget deadline) may be a strategic opportunity to focus attention on climate, justice, and energy issues for months and years to come.

In recent polling, clear majorities support the U.S. taking more serious policy action on climate—especially regarding international climate diplomacy. Some topline examples illustrate this: About two in three registered voters (65%) think the United States should be doing more to address global warming; 61% of registered voters think the United States should reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, regardless of what other countries do. Seven in ten registered voters (70%) support U.S. participation in the Paris Climate Agreement. More than half of registered voters support providing financial aid and technical support to developing countries to limit their greenhouse gas emissions (i.e., mitigation, 58%) and to help them prepare for the impacts of global warming (i.e., adaptation, 54%). Three in four registered voters (75%) support the United States pressuring other countries to reduce their carbon pollution.             

Americans support the Green New Deal (GND), even when shown GOP attack lines about the policy package. 60% of Americans support the GND, and just 29% oppose it. This breaks down to 83% support by Democrats, 57% by Independents, and 36% by Republicans. Further, a majority of voters (57%) say they would support if their member of Congress co-sponsored the GND resolution when it is reintroduced in Congress. 51% say they’d be more likely to re-elect their representative if they co-sponsor the GND. Even when presented with a right-wing talking point that the GND would be “a waste of taxpayer money that will increase the national debt”, 52% still think lawmakers should pass the GND. Every major policy plank of the Green New Deal enjoys widespread bipartisan support, including lowering utility costs, reducing pollution, helping family farmers adopt sustainable practices, making communities more resilient to extreme weather, and investing in frontline communities.