This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on recent hurricanes and the government’s disaster response, new polling on renewable energy and grid expansion, and new state polls about energy issues in Pennsylvania, California, and Texas.

HEADLINES

Data for Progress – Voters widely support investments in renewable energy and grid expansion; most support solar farms and transmission projects in their own communities [Renewables Article, Renewables Crosstabs, Transmission Article, Transmission Crosstabs]

Data for Progress – Voters across party lines support FEMA but believe that the federal government could do more to help with disaster relief in general [Article, Crosstabs]

The Economist + YouGov – Around two-thirds of Americans say that natural disasters are becoming more common, and most say that climate change is a factor; Americans are divided by partisanship over the federal response to Hurricane Helene [Topline, Crosstabs]

[PA] Ohio River Valley Institute – Pennsylvanians have mixed attitudes about fracking; voters in the state overwhelmingly want stronger regulations on the industry, and around four in ten support phasing out fracking completely [Release, Memo, Deck]

[CA, TX] Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) – Voters in California and Texas both overwhelmingly agree that their states should be doing more to encourage solar power; voters see clear benefits of solar power for grid reliability, the economy, and costs [CA Release, CA Deck, TX Release, TX Deck]

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Americans continue to say that they support new clean energy infrastructure in their communities. Contrary to conventional wisdom, polls consistently show majority support across the country for local clean energy projects. In new polls, Data for Progress finds that most voters support solar panel farms being built in their community and, importantly, also support the local construction of new transmission lines that will be necessary for the country to expand its use of clean energy. Data for Progress’s polling also shows that voters are optimistic that an expanded grid will provide more reliable electricity but need assurance that the costs of grid expansion won’t lead to even higher electricity bills.

The link between climate change and hurricanes isn’t the most intuitive to the public. Polls conducted in between Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton show clear recognition that extreme weather is getting worse but mixed beliefs about the connection between climate change and hurricanes. The Economist and YouGov find that around two-thirds of Americans say that natural disasters have become more frequent in recent decades, and most blame climate change for it. Meanwhile, Data for Progress finds that around half of voters believe that the increasing frequency and strength of hurricanes in the U.S. is more because of climate change than natural patterns. Past research, including polling this year by Pew, has found that Americans are more likely to connect climate change to hot, dry weather events like heat waves, wildfires, and droughts than to severe storms. Accordingly, it’s important for advocates to provide clear and understandable explanations to make the link between climate change and hurricanes more apparent to the public. (The CAC has provided a useful toolkit for communicators on this topic.)

GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT

• [Clean Energy] 65% of voters say that the U.S. should invest more in renewable energy like solar and wind [Data for Progress]
• [Clean Energy] By a 62%-28% margin, voters support a federal renewable electricity standard that would require the U.S. to generate 70% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2034 [Data for Progress]
• [Transmission] 77% of voters say that it’s important to expand the transmission grid in the U.S. [Data for Progress]
• [Transmission] 55% of voters support a transmission project being built in their community, with just 29% opposed [Data for Progress]
• [Climate Change] 56% of Americans recognize that the world’s climate is changing as a result of human activity, while 25% believe that the climate is changing due to natural causes and just 7% deny that the climate is changing [The Economist + YouGov]
• [Extreme Weather] 66% of Americans recognize that the frequency of major natural disasters occurring globally has increased in recent decades [The Economist + YouGov]
• [Pennsylvania] 74% of Pennsylvania voters agree that fracking should have stricter regulations due to potential health risks [Ohio River Valley Institute]