Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

6. Special Section: Gas Prices and Electric Vehicles

6.1 Across political lines, a large majority of registered voters are worried about the current price of gasoline.

A large majority of registered voters (78%) say they are “very” or “somewhat” worried about the current price of gasoline.During the fielding period for this survey (April 17-26, 2026), the average daily price per gallon of regular gasoline in the United States ranged from $4.08 – $4.10. On the date this report was finalized (June 4, 2026), the average price per gallon was $4.24, having peaked at $4.56 (on both May 7 and May 21). This includes 91% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 87% of liberal Democrats, 79% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 60% of conservative Republicans. By contrast, 22% of registered voters say they are either “not very” or “not at all” worried about the current price of gasoline.

6.2 Across political lines, a large majority of registered voters say the current price of gasoline is affecting their family’s budget.

A large majority of registered voters (84%) say the current price of gasoline is affecting their family’s budget either “a lot” (29%), “some” (31%), or “a little” (23%). This includes 92% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 84% of liberal/moderate Republicans, 81% of liberal Democrats, and 79% of conservative Republicans.

6.3 Registered voters say President Trump and his administration are most responsible for increased gas prices.

Participants were also asked the open-ended question “who do you think is most responsible for the recent increases in gas prices?” (For details, refer to Appendix II, p. 101). By a large margin, registered voters are most likely to attribute increased gas prices to President Trump and his administration (42%; for all results, refer to data tables, p. 80). The second most common response did not refer to a specific person or entity, but rather to the war with Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz (19%), followed by the Iranian government (9%), and the fossil fuel industry (5%).

President Trump and his administration were identified as most responsible for increasing gas prices by liberal Democrats (72%), moderate/conservative Democrats (62%), and liberal/moderate Republicans (26%). Conservative Republicans were most likely to identify the Iranian government as most responsible (23%).

6.4 One-third of registered voters say they would consider buying or leasing an electric vehicle.

In much of the world, sales of electric vehicles (EVs) are rapidly increasing, One-third of registered voters in the United States (33%) say they are “very” or “somewhat” likely to consider an electric vehicle (EV) the next time they buy or lease a car or truck. This includes a majority of liberal Democrats (63%) and about one third of moderate/conservative Democrats (34%), but fewer liberal/moderate Republicans (19%) and conservative Republicans (14%). Six in registered voters (60%) say they are either “very” or “somewhat” unlikely to consider an EV.