Environmental Polling Roundup – April 7th, 2023

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls – including new polling on extreme weather, extreme heat, and ESG + a new analysis of climate attitudes by demographics.

HEADLINES

Gallup – Roughly one in three Americans say they’ve experienced extreme weather in the last two years, including nearly half of the South; however, few think of extreme temperatures when asked to provide examples of “extreme weather” events (Article)

Data for Progress – Voters are widely concerned about extreme heat – particularly in how it impacts the elderly – and support a wide range of policies to mitigate it (Memo, Crosstabs)

Yale + George Mason – “Global Warming’s Six Americas” analysis finds that young Americans, Hispanics, and women of color are especially likely to be convinced and concerned about climate change (Article)

Navigator – Voters are divided on ESG, as attitudes about it are strongly linked to partisanship (Deck, Topline)

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Don’t assume that the public knows what you mean by “extreme weather.” Gallup finds that about one-third of Americans say they’ve been impacted by extreme weather events in the last two years, though very few mention extreme heat when prompted in an open-ended question to specify what type(s) of extreme weather they’ve experienced. We know from other polling (and from actual weather data) that first-hand experience with extreme heat is quite common, so the Gallup data suggests that people might not readily think of extreme heat as an example of “extreme weather.” When communicating to general audiences about extreme weather and its links to climate change, therefore, it may be helpful to explicitly mention extreme heat as an example. This is also important because the public more intuitively understands that hot weather is connected to climate change than cold weather.
• ESG has been swallowed up by the culture war. New polling from Navigator confirms that ESG is a politically polarizing label, joining other acronyms like CRT and DEI as terms that elicit opposing reactions from Democrats and Republicans. Another recent polling project about ESG from Climate Power and Data for Progress yielded similar results, and recommended that advocates continue to talk about the idea behind environmentally responsible investing but avoid the “ESG” label in favor of alternatives like “responsible investing” and the “freedom to invest.”
• Americans of color continue to show the greatest concern about climate change. A new analysis of national survey data from Yale and George Mason finds that people of color, and Hispanic Americans in particular, are especially likely to acknowledge and worry about human-caused climate change. While sections of the media continue to portray climate change as a preoccupation of white liberals, the actual data shows that people of color continue to be driving the country toward greater recognition and urgency around climate change.

GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT

• [Extreme Weather + Climate Change] Americans who say that winter in their area this season was warmer than usual (42% of Americans) are more likely to say that warmer winter temperatures are due to climate change (62%) than natural variation (36%) [Gallup]
• [Green Spaces + Extreme Heat] 87% of voters support their state or municipality investing in public urban green spaces, including parks and open areas with trees and other natural features, to reduce the urban heat island effect in cities [Data for Progress]
• [Energy Efficiency] 85% of voters support their state or municipality providing financial incentives for installing energy-efficient air conditioning in homes [Data for Progress]
• [Weatherization] 84% of voters support their state or municipality investing in programs to weatherize homes to make them more energy efficient and climate resilient [Data for Progress]
• [Heating and Cooling Relief Act] 78% of voters support the Heating and Cooling Relief Act to increase annual funding for low-income household energy assistance and expand eligibility to ensure that no household pays more than 3 percent of its annual income on energy costs [Data for Progress]
• [Extreme Heat Mitigation] 78% of voters support a federal law to prevent utility shut-offs during extreme heat events [Data for Progress]
• [Extreme Heat Mitigation] 77% of voters support requiring landlords to provide renters with air conditioning or indoor cooling in areas that experience extreme heat events [Data for Progress]
• [Issue Priority] More Americans say that climate/environment is the number one “most important issue” for them than any other issue besides inflation/prices, health care, and the economy/jobs [The Economist + YouGov]