The Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University have recently undertaken a national survey to get a better understanding of the attitudes to climate change and have published the results in a new report.
Below are some of the results of the survey:
They find that the economy and the cost of living are the top two issues registered voters say will be “very important” when they decide who they will vote for in the 2026 congressional elections (79% and 78%, respectively). In this context, we also find that:
- 65% of registered voters think global warming is affecting the cost of living in the United States.
- 49% say policies intended to transition away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy will improve economic growth and provide new jobs (versus 27% who think they will reduce economic growth and cost jobs).
Many voters say a candidate’s position on global warming and renewable energy will influence their vote.
- 59% of registered voters would prefer to vote for a candidate who supports action on global warming, while only 13% would prefer to vote for a candidate who opposes action.
- 41% say they would like to hear from candidates about efforts to reduce global warming more often (versus 22% who say they would like to hear about it less often).
- 28% say they will only vote for a congressional candidate who supports increasing the use of renewable energy and 26% say they will only vote for a congressional candidate who supports decreasing the use of fossil fuels.
Large, bipartisan majorities of registered voters oppose eliminating government programs on global warming and clean energy.
- 79% oppose eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
- 77% oppose ordering all federal agencies to stop providing information about global warming to the public.
- 77% oppose ordering all federal agencies to stop doing research on global warming.
- 65% oppose prohibiting construction of new offshore wind farms.
A large majority of registered voters support protecting people from disproportionate harm from environmental hazards.
- 92% support requiring companies to protect workers from dangerous levels of heat.
- 80% support strengthening enforcement of industrial pollution limits in low-income communities and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by air and water pollution.
The full report includes many other important findings, including how much voters think global warming and clean energy should be a government priority, support for climate-friendly government policies, support for building clean infrastructure globally, support for the Republican-proposed Foreign Pollution Fee Act, opposition to pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, and support for educating students about the causes and consequences of global warming.
The report is available here.
External link
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 