Environmental Polling Roundup – March 31st, 2023

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls – including new polling on federal climate action, President Biden’s approval on climate and environmental issues in the wake of the Willow decision, IRA awareness and support, and proposals to reduce plastic pollution.

HEADLINES

• Heatmap – Americans overwhelmingly want the U.S. to act on climate; the public views costs and corporate special interests as the biggest obstacles to action (Article, Topline)
• Fossil Free Media + Data for Progress – President Biden’s ratings on climate and the environment have slipped in recent months among Democrats and young voters; news about the Willow project drops his ratings among Democrats further, as voters – especially Democrats – don’t want to prioritize fossil fuel projects on public lands (Article, Crosstabs)
• Yale + GMU – Many of the constituencies that have heard the least about the IRA are also the most inclined to support it if they learn about it (Article)
• Data for Progress – Voters are widely concerned about the environmental impacts of plastic pollution and support a range of policy proposals to reduce single-use plastics and increase plastic recycling (Article, Crosstabs)

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• There is a poll-backed argument that President Biden’s Willow decision backfired politically, and that he needs to do more on climate to rectify it. Polling from Fossil Free Media and Data for Progress, conducted in October 2022 and March 2023, finds that President Biden’s approval on climate and environmental issues has dropped sharply among Democrats and younger voters in recent months. The March poll additionally finds that Biden’s standing with his base could drop much further as awareness of the Willow project increases. Meanwhile, Democrats and younger voters both widely back President Biden’s original campaign promise to end new oil and gas leases on public lands.
• Advocates need to emphasize how corporate special interests are blocking climate action. New polling by Heatmap finds that Americans view corporate special interests and the costs of the clean energy transition as roughly equally powerful obstacles to progress on climate change in Washington. This makes it all the more important for advocates to clarify how corporate special interests like the fossil fuel lobby are using the influence they’ve bought in Washington to block the transition to cleaner, less expensive energy sources.
• Women, Black Americans, younger Americans, and lower-income Americans are prime targets for communications about the IRA. Polling by Yale and George Mason finds that all of these audiences have particularly low awareness of the Inflation Reduction Act but all widely support it after they learn about it.

GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT

• [Solar] 94% of Americans who have rooftop solar panels in their community say that rooftop solar has been beneficial to their community [Heatmap]
• [Climate Change] 74% of Americans say that it’s important for the United States to mitigate the effects of climate change [Heatmap]
• [Climate Change] 69% of Americans worry about what climate change means for their kids [Heatmap]
• [Climate Change] 65% of Americans worry about what climate change means for them personally [Heatmap]
• [Energy + Public Lands] By a 56%-35% margin, voters say that the federal government should prioritize clean energy projects over fossil fuel projects when allowing new energy projects on public lands [Fossil Free Media + Data for Progress]
• [Biden + Corporate Accountability] By an 80%-12% margin, voters support President Biden’s original campaign promise to take action against polluters who knowingly harm the environment or conceal information regarding health risks
• [Biden + Clean Energy] By a 57%-32% margin, voters support President Biden’s original campaign promise to ensure a 100% clean energy power sector by no later than 2035
• [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, the economy/jobs, and national security [The Economist + YouGov]