Report · Feb 26, 2019
Energy in the American Mind: December 2018
By Anthony Leiserowitz, Edward Maibach, Seth Rosenthal, John Kotcher, Abel Gustafson, Parrish Bergquist, Matthew Ballew and Matthew Goldberg
Filed under: Beliefs & Attitudes, Policy & Politics and Behaviors & Actions
3. Energy Consumers: Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors
3.1. About half of Americans don’t know if they have the option to purchase 100% clean, renewable electricity.
Nearly half of Americans (48%) don’t know if they have the option to purchase 100% clean, renewable electricity from their local utility company or other electricity provider. About one in three (34%) say they don’t have that option, while 10% say they have the option but aren’t purchasing it. Only 5% of Americans say they are currently purchasing 100% clean, renewable electricity.
3.2. About half of Americans say they likely would purchase 100% clean, renewable electricity if given the option.
Half of Americans (50%) would purchase 100% clean, renewable energy from their local utility company, but either think they don’t have that option or don’t know if they do. This includes over half of Democrats (56%) and many Republicans (42%).
3.3. About half of Americans say they would pay more for 100% clean, renewable electricity.
About half of Americans (49%; 63% of Democrats, 37% of Republicans) say they would pay more for 100% clean, renewable electricity, while about the same proportion (47%; 36% of Democrats, 60% of Republicans) say they would not pay more. On average, Americans say they would pay $15 more per month ($17 for Democrats; $11 for Independents; $9 for Republicans) for 100% clean, renewable electricity.
3.4. More than one in three Americans think electricity from solar and wind costs less than coal.
Many Americans think electricity from renewable energy sources, including solar (38%) and wind, (38%) is less expensive than electricity from coal; fewer think renewable energy sources cost more than coal (solar: 25%; wind: 19%). Many say they don’t know if renewable energy sources cost less or more than coal (solar: 30%; wind: 34%).
Democrats (48%) are more likely than Independents (38%) or Republicans (29%) to think that electricity from solar costs less than coal (see Data Tables) – a pattern that is similar to perceptions of the costs of electricity from wind (49% of Democrats, 32% of Independents, 31% of Republicans). Conservative Republicans are the only political segment in which those who think solar and wind cost more than coal outnumber those who think solar and wind cost less than coal. Opinions about the cost of coal compared to nuclear, natural gas, geothermal, and hydroelectric dams are relatively stable across political segments, with large percentages of Americans saying they don’t know.
3.5. Many Americans think electricity from solar and wind will get cheaper over the next decade.
Almost half of Americans think the cost of electricity from solar (48%) and wind (45%) will decrease over the next 10 years. Many Democrats think solar (60%) and wind (56%) will be less expensive in 10 years, while fewer Republicans think so (solar, 44%; wind, 36%).
Conversely, few Americans think the cost of electricity from coal will decrease over the next decade (6% of Independents, 9% of Democrats, 11% of Republicans), while 38% think it will cost more (see Data Tables). About three in ten Americans (34%) say they don’t know if the cost of coal will increase, decrease, or stay the same – a common response for all energy sources.
3.6. About half of Americans are more likely to buy from companies that commit to 100% clean, renewable energy.
About half of Americans (54%; 72% of Democrats, 53% of Independents, 37% of Republicans) say they are more likely to buy goods and services from companies that have committed to using 100% clean, renewable energy. In contrast, only 5% of Americans say they are less likely to buy from such companies (2% of Democrats, 5% of Independents, 7% of Republicans; see Data Tables).
