Polling 201: utilizing public opinion research in your communications ca

Majorities of Americans who report experiences with extreme weather, including Republicans, say that climate change contributed to it. Majorities of Americans who say that their area experienced heat waves, droughts, major wildfires, or rising sea levels in the past year say that climate change contributed “a lot” to the event. 73% of Americans say that it’s a good idea to set stricter building standards for new construction in places at high risk of extreme weather. 57% of Americans say that it’s a good idea for the government to provide financial assistance for people to rebuild in places at high risk of extreme weather. Compared to Republicans, Democrats are 23 points more likely to say that their community experienced long periods of unusually hot weather (57% to 34%), 17 points more likely to say that their community experienced severe weather like floods or intense storms (59% to 42%), 12 points more likely to say that their community experienced rising sea levels (23% to 11%), nine points more likely to say that their area experienced droughts or water shortages (31% to 22%), and seven points more likely to say that their area experienced major wildfires (21% to 14%).

Use media behavior to learn how to reach and move people toward a narrative for all major household appliances and vehicles that is pro-electric. “Lifestyle conservatives” look like a key audience: Better understanding the factors underlying their consideration of and conversion to electrics seems important; this may point to supply-side work that needs doing. Excellent message research on EV’s exists: focus on the policy infrastructure for mainstreaming EVs means it may be of limited utility in understanding consumer choices for lifestyle conservatives, given how lukewarm they can be on government policy for just about anything; also any emphasis on climate is not likely to help here. Most important is to start making content: think about putting content out into the world and testing it with audiences in quick iterative loops that connect back to and constantly update strategic assumptions.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polls of Western voters and young conservatives.

What is power? This podcast episode starts with that fundamental question. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King famously said, “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and . . . love without power is sentimental and anemic.” But many on the left seem allergic to power. Drawing on the influential sociologists Michael Mann and Erik Olin Wright, Stephanie and Deepak present a novel typology, identifying six forms of power and giving examples of each. Then this episode features a guest who has brilliantly analyzed right-wing strategies to build power over the past several decades: Ilyse Hogue, former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America and co-author, with Ellie Langford, of The Lie that Binds (which is also a terrific 6-part podcast). Hogue debunks the myth that the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade was the turning point in conservative organizing.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including a new Pew report on Americans’ climate attitudes, a new analysis of pro-climate Republicans, and new polling on President Biden’s investments in clean energy and infrastructure.

Republicans who worry the most about climate change skew younger, more female, and more suburban than other Republicans. About half of Republicans (52%) are either Alarmed (8%), Concerned (19%), or Cautious (24%) about global warming, among which about 1 in 4 (27%) are either Alarmed or Concerned. Alarmed or Concerned Republicans are more likely than all other Republicans to be Gen Z/Millennial (35% vs. 29% of all other Republicans), female (57% vs. 45%), or live in a suburban area (57% vs. 52%). By contrast, fewer Alarmed or Concerned Republicans are Baby Boomer/Silent Generation (37% vs. 43% of all other Republicans), male (43% vs. 55%), or live in a rural area (29% vs. 34%).

The Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition (FCAC) is working to advance a Just Transition away from fossil fuel extraction and towards renewable energy and a regenerative economy in interior Alaska. For several years, FCAC’s Renewable Energy Working Group has been organizing around their local electric utility cooperative, Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA), to support more generation from renewable energy sources and energy justice initiatives and decarbonization of electricity. FCAC’s organizing efforts have supported more pro-renewable candidates to be democratically elected to the GVEA’s Board of Directors and pushed the utility to consider community solar projects and on-bill financing. A major win came in June 2022 when the GVEA Board adopted a strategic generation plan including a commitment to close down one of their coal plants and pursue a large scale wind power project.

In this webinar, FCAC shares learnings from their Microgrant Report: Cooperative Opportunity: Clean Energy documenting the development of their campaign, sharing reflections on how their organizing structure led to wins, the challenges they faced, and the lessons that can be learned to succeed in future campaigns.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), climate and the environment as policy priorities, and the personal impacts of climate change.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including a new edition of Yale and George Mason's long-running "Climate Change in the American Mind" study that focuses on the politics and policy of climate change, as well as lots of new polling on gas stoves.