A new poll shows that Americans overwhelmingly support the strike, and even a plurality of self-identified conservatives back the UAW. 58% of likely voters said they support the strike as opposed to just 17% who opposed it. A plurality of Trump voters and Americans who self-identify as very conservative support the strike by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. Roughly 70% of Biden voters and voters who identify as liberal also support the UAW’s decision to strike. Among those expressing a clear stance on the strike, nearly 80% of respondents said they support it, including 80% of moderates and more than two-thirds of Trump and self-identified very conservative voters. Support for autoworkers cut across racial lines, but was strongest among Black voters, more than two-thirds of whom back the UAW strike.

Most voters approve of the EPA’s proposed new vehicle emissions standards when they learn about them. Charging concerns continue to rank as high as costs as a barrier to EV interest. 64% of voters support EPA’s new proposed light- and medium-duty vehicle rules. 72% support building electric vehicle plants in their state. Cost is no longer voters’ top concern regarding electric vehicles: 23% (the most-commonly cited reason) say there aren’t enough charging stations (compared to 22% who say EVs are too expensive).

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including on the infrastructure required for the electric vehicle transition and Californians supporting climate action at the state level.

Americans are skeptical that the country will build the infrastructure required for the electric vehicle transition. Americans express limited confidence that the country will build the necessary infrastructure to support large numbers of EVs on the roads. Some 17% say they are extremely or very confident this will happen, while 30% are somewhat confident. And 53% are not too or not at all confident. Half of U.S. adults say they are not too or not at all likely to consider purchasing an EV, while another 13% say they do not plan to purchase a vehicle. The share of the public interested in purchasing an EV is down 4 percentage points from May 2022. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, younger adults, and people living in urban areas are among the most likely to say they would consider purchasing an EV. The 9% of U.S. adults who currently own a hybrid or electric vehicle are also particularly likely to consider an EV for their next purchase. A majority of this group (68%) says they are very or somewhat likely to seriously consider it.

Deeper community engagement is important as states complete build-out of the initial electric vehicle charger deployment along highways. To do outreach to communities, employ a wide range of outreach strategies to disadvantaged communities, including social media, email lists, local media, and campaigns targeted specifically to communities of color (Black, Brown and Indigenous communities); hold a mix of virtual and in-person meetings, including within disadvantaged communities, to achieve broad geographic and demographic representation; consult with community-based organizations, especially those that represent disadvantaged communities, throughout the NEVI planning process; actively solicit feedback from disadvantaged communities through virtual and in-person meetings, listening sessions, public surveys, and recommendations from community-based organizations; and engage tribal nations, who were often entirely omitted from state NEVI planning but should directly benefit from the program.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including on hazardous air quality from the Canadian wildfires, battleground voters in Michigan and Nevada, and Michigan voters and Ford's new EV battery plant.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new national polling on energy policy, the factors behind people’s climate views, and electric vehicles + new polling in Michigan on energy issues and the state’s climate plan.

Most Americans would consider purchasing an electric vehicle, though there are large differences in interest by partisanship. Americans’ adoption of electric vehicles is proving to be slow, as relatively few currently own one (4%) or are seriously considering purchasing one (12%). Another 43% of U.S. adults say they might consider buying an electric vehicle in the future, while 41% unequivocally say they would not. While about four in 10 U.S. adults think using EVs helps address climate change “a great deal” (12%) or “a fair amount” (27%), roughly six in 10 believe it helps “only a little” (35%) or “not at all” (26%). Current ownership of electric vehicles among partisans is 6% for Democrats, 4% for independents and 1% for Republicans. Democrats (22%) are also far more likely than both Republicans (1%) and independents (12%) to say they are seriously considering purchasing an EV. The majority of Democrats, 54%, say they may consider it in the future. Meanwhile, a substantial majority of Republicans, 71%, say they would not consider owning an electric vehicle.

This report examines the availability of EVs being sold at car dealerships and the barriers to consumers who are in the market for an EV. Key findings include:

There is plenty of interest in electric vehicles (EVs) in rural areas, but there is a huge knowledge gap about what it is like to own an EV. In a nationally representative 2020 survey, across urban, suburban and rural areas, 4% of the respondents with valid driver’s licenses said they would definitely plan to get an EV for their next vehicle. In the latest survey, which was fielded in early 2022, this share has increased from 4% overall to 11% in rural areas and 18% in urban areas. An additional 18% of rural dwellers and 25% of urban dwellers would seriously consider buying or leasing an EV if they were to get a vehicle today. When considering respondents who would definitely plan and seriously consider (not including those who are open to getting one in the future), this adds up to 29% of rural drivers who would at least seriously consider buying or leasing an EV. Among rural dwellers, only 6% said they were very familiar with the fundamentals of buying and owning an EV, while 30% said they were somewhat familiar. One of the reasons for this lack of familiarity could be the scarcity of EVs in rural areas: only 27% of rural dwellers have seen an EV in their neighborhood in the past month compared to more than half of urban dwellers, and even fewer have a friend, relative or co-worker who owns an EV. A whopping 90% of rural dwellers have never been a passenger in an EV, and almost nobody has ever driven one.