Resource Type: Polling & Surveys

Where do Americans stand on election issues? Let them tell you. State- and CD-level data on American voters’ attitudes, including on specific climate policies. 
Nationscape Insights is a featured project of Democracy Fund Voter Study Group and UCLA, in partnership with USA TODAY. Our interactive graphics, updated weekly, delve into this large-scale study of the American electorate. You can explore geographic and demographic breakdowns and more.
The Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project has been asking Americans about the biggest issues in the 2020 election – the economy, guns, abortion, climate change, to name a few. They’ve asked detailed questions to learn more about voters, nuances in their positions, and how they may evolve.

American’s external political efficacy – the belief that one can influence government decisions – has been on the decline over the last several decades. Greater involvement in civic associations may help to reverse this. Analyzing a panel dataset of several hundred environmental association members, this study found that as members got to know their association’s chapter leaders, external efficacy increased.

Describing “hardworking families” as the heroes of a political narrative and “big, greedy corporations” as the villains may be the best progressive economic message. Climate change and water issues are a top concern for New Mexico voters. This report describes ways for progressives to connect more deeply with New Mexicans and communicate their vision and agenda in more authentic language that resonates, excites, and persuades. New Mexicans value family, fairness, opportunity, and respect for communities. Any successful message will engage with those core values. This report describes emotions in play, personal values, pain points, and aspirations relevant to New Mexico voters, in addition to variations on successful political messages and how they relate to survey data gathered for this report.             

Survey of Detroit adults sought to measure concern for and perception of the impacts of climate change and other environmental threats like pollution, flooding, and storms, how these threats impact different racial/ethnic groups, and how adults’ views on these issues vary by race and ethnicity. 

From a nationally representative poll of registered voters fielded from Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2020, more than eight in 10 (82%) say achieving 100% clean energy should be the primary goal of U.S. energy policy, and more than six in 10 (63%) say developing more renewables should be the priority when seeking to address U.S. energy needs, compared to gas (15%) or nuclear (9%). Almost six in 10 (58%) say increasing production of renewables is more likely to create a greater number of good jobs than increasing production of fossil fuels (25%).