Resources

Search below for resources covering the intersection of climate engagement, social science and data analytics.

RESULTS

Research & Articles
10-15-2024

Most voters say that they’re concerned about the possible rollback of climate policies and other Project 2025 proposals. Three in five voters (62%) are concerned about rolling back policies that are aimed at preventing climate change, including roughly two in five (39%) who are “very” concerned about possible rollbacks to climate laws. Around three-quarters of voters (77%) say that they’ve heard about Project 2025, though most (55%) say that they’ve heard only “a little” about it. Those who have heard about Project 2025 are six times as likely to say that they’ve heard mostly negative information about the plan (63%) than to say that they’ve heard mostly positive things (10%) about it.

Environmental Polling Roundup – October 11th, 2024

David Gold, Environmental Polling Consortium
Research & Articles
10-11-2024

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.

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. In California: Solar power – 85% agree that their utility should be using more; Wind power – 78%; Offshore wind power – 72%; Natural gas power – 57%; Nuclear power – 52%. In Texas: Solar power – 73% agree that their utility should be using more; Wind power – 69%; Natural gas power – 67%; Nuclear power – 50%; Coal power – 40%. Accordingly, large majorities in both California (85%) and Texas (71%) agree that their state’s policymakers should be doing more to encourage the use of solar power. In both states, there is a potent argument that solar can help to make an outdated electric grid more resilient and reliable.

Research & Articles
10-09-2024

Voters across party lines support FEMA but believe that the federal government could do more to help with disaster relief in general. Just under half of voters (49%) say that the increasing frequency and strength of hurricanes in the U.S. is primarily the result of climate change. Meanwhile, four in ten (42%) say that hurricanes are becoming more frequent and severe because of natural changes in the environment. Democrats overwhelmingly blame climate change for the increasingly frequent and severe hurricanes in the U.S. (71%) and Republicans overwhelmingly blame natural changes in the environment (67%). Around two-thirds of voters have favorable opinions of FEMA (67% favorable / 19% unfavorable), including majorities of Democrats (76%) and Republicans (60%). Still, slightly more than half of voters (52%)–including a plurality of Democrats (47%) and the majority of Republicans (57%)–say that the federal government is not providing enough support to Americans for disaster relief.

YPCCC’s Resources on Climate in the 2024 U.S. General Election

Anthony Leiserowitz, Edward Maibach, Jennifer Carman et al. Yale University and George Mason University
Research & Articles
10-08-2024

Many important climate policies, including the transition to clean energy, investments in underserved and more vulnerable communities, and participation in international climate treaties, will be determined by voters’ choices in the 2024 elections. In California, voters are voting on Proposition 4, which would fund flood protection and climate resiliency projects. In Washington state, voters are being asked to repeal the state’s cap-and-invest program and to preempt local governments from restricting access to methane gas. This research has tracked global warming as a voting priority in each presidential and midterm election since 2014. In 2024, 39% of registered voters overall say that global warming is a “very important” issue for their vote, including 70% of liberal Democrats, 51% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 19% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 8% of conservative Republicans. We find that the percentage of voters who think global warming is a “very important” issue has increased slightly over time, with 32% of registered voters saying so in 2014 and 39% saying so in 2024.

Voters widely support investments in renewable energy and grid expansion. Most support solar farms and transmission projects in their own communities. 65% of voters say that the U.S. should invest more in renewable energy like solar and wind. 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, including four in five Democrats (83%), the majority of independents (57%), and four in ten Republicans (42%). 77% of voters say that it’s important to expand the transmission grid in the U.S. 55% of voters support a transmission project being built in their community, with just 29% opposed.

Research & Articles
10-07-2024

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. Voters in the state are about three times as likely to have positive attitudes than negative attitudes about the clean energy industry (62% favorable / 21% unfavorable). Specific types of clean energy, including solar energy (80% favorable / 11% unfavorable) and wind energy (73% favorable / 16% unfavorable), are even more popular. Meanwhile, voters are closely divided in their attitudes about the oil and gas industry (45% favorable / 44% unfavorable). And while Pennsylvanians have overwhelmingly positive opinions about natural gas (75% favorable / 14% unfavorable), they are more split in their opinions about fracking (44% favorable / 37% unfavorable). More than four in ten voters (83%), including 71% of Republicans, support federal subsidies for clean energy development. Pennsylvanians are also far more supportive of the government spending taxpayer dollars on wind and solar development (84% support / 16% oppose) than on fracking and pipeline development (62% support / 38% oppose).

Environmental Polling Roundup – September 27th, 2024

David Gold, Environmental Polling Consortium
Research & Articles
09-27-2024

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on polluter accountability and new polls of Black voters and young Americans.

Poll: Voters Strongly Support the Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act

Kevin Hanley and Grace Adcox. Data for Progress
Research & Articles
09-26-2024

Voters across party lines support the recently introduced Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act. Voters support the Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act by a 66%-24% margin after reading a brief description of it. The bill is supported by more than four in five Democrats (84%), three in five independents (62%), and half of Republicans (50%).