Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

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2. Support for Policies to Reduce the Pollution that Causes Global Warming

2.1. There is bipartisan support for U.S. participation in the Paris Climate Agreement.

In December, 2015, officials from 197 countries (nearly every country in the world) met in Paris at the United Nations Climate Change Conference and negotiated a global agreement to limit global warming. On Earth Day, April 2016, the United States and 174 other countries signed the agreement, with all of the other countries following suit. On June 1, 2017, President Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the agreement, and on November 4, 2020, the day after the U.S. presidential election, the U.S. formally withdrew. President-elect Biden has announced that the U.S. will re-join the agreement soon after Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021.

Three in four registered voters (75%) support U.S. participation in the Paris Climate Agreement, but support varies by party. Nearly all liberal Democrats (97%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (93%) support U.S. participation, as do seven in ten liberal/moderate Republicans (71%) and Independents (70%). About four in ten conservative Republicans (44%) also support U.S. participation in the Agreement.

 

2.2. Registered voters support the U.S. president hosting a meeting of world leaders to urge them to do more to reduce global warming.

A large majority of registered voters (79%) support the next U.S. president hosting a meeting of the leaders of large industrialized nations to urge them to do more to reduce global warming.

Nearly all liberal Democrats (96%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (95%) support this proposal. Majorities of Independents (78%) and liberal/moderate Republicans (75%) do as well, as do half of conservative Republicans (50%).

 

2.3. On climate, most registered voters want the U.S. to both cooperate with and increase pressure on China.

Data from the Union of Concerned Scientists and United Nations indicate that China produces more carbon dioxide emissions than any other country in the world, although its historical emissions and current emissions per capita are lower than those of the United States.

In the U.S., more than three in four registered voters (79%) agree that it is in America’s national interest to increase diplomatic and trade pressure on China to reduce its carbon pollution. About nine in ten liberal Democrats (89%) and conservative/moderate Democrats (87%), seven in ten liberal/moderate Republicans (72%), and two in three conservative Republicans (66%) agree.

About three in four registered voters (74%) also agree that it is in America’s national interest to cooperate with China to reduce global warming. About nine in ten liberal Democrats (90%) and conservative/moderate Democrats (88%), and two in three liberal/moderate Republicans (66%) agree, as do about half of conservative Republicans (51%).

 

2.4. Most registered voters, including Republicans, support climate-friendly energy policies.

Registered voters across the political spectrum support many energy policies designed to reduce carbon pollution and fossil fuel dependence and promote clean energy, including:

• Providing tax rebates to people who purchase energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels: 82% of registered voters, 96% of liberal Democrats, 88% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 80% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 64% of conservative Republicans.
• Funding more research into renewable energy sources: 82% of registered voters, 96% of liberal Democrats, 91% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 80% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 61% of conservative Republicans.
• Generating renewable energy (solar and wind) on public land in the U.S.: 80% of registered voters, 94% of liberal Democrats, 88% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 76% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 59% of conservative Republicans.
• Regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant: 74% of registered voters, 94% of liberal Democrats, 84% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 67% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 51% of conservative Republicans.
• Transitioning the U.S. economy (including electric utilities, transportation, buildings, and industry) from fossil fuels to 100% clean energy by 2050: 72% of registered voters, 95% of liberal Democrats, 87% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 59% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 41% of conservative Republicans.
• Requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a tax on the carbon pollution they produce, and use that revenue to reduce other taxes (such as the federal income tax) by an equal amount (i.e., a revenue-neutral carbon tax): 67% of registered voters, 91% of liberal Democrats, 82% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 55% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 36% of conservative Republicans.
• Requiring electric utilities to produce 100% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by the year 2035: 66% of registered voters, 94% of liberal Democrats, 83% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 54% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 28% of conservative Republicans.
• Eliminating all carbon pollution created by coal, oil, and natural gas from the U.S. economy by 2050: 66% of registered voters, 93% of liberal Democrats, 84% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 51% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 29% of conservative Republicans.

 

2.5. Most registered voters support policies to reduce energy use and improve efficiency.

Registered voters across the political spectrum support several policies to promote climate-friendly energy use and efficiency in the United States, including:

• Providing tax incentives or rebates to homeowners, landlords, and businesses to make existing buildings more energy efficient: 88% of registered voters, 97% of liberal Democrats, 92% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 84% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 76% of conservative Republicans.
• Setting stronger energy efficiency standards for new buildings: 86% of registered voters, 98% of liberal Democrats, 94% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 82% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 69% of conservative Republicans.
• Setting stronger energy efficiency standards for appliances: 83% of registered voters, 97% of liberal Democrats, 92% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 81% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 63% of conservative Republicans.
• Providing tax incentives or rebates to homeowners, landlords, and businesses to purchase appliances that can be powered without burning fossil fuels (such as electric water heaters, electric heat pumps, and electric induction cooktops): 80% of registered voters, 95% of liberal Democrats, 86% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 79% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 58% of conservative Republicans.
• Providing federal funding to put solar panels on the roofs of public schools: 78% of registered voters, 96% of liberal Democrats, 90% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 73% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 53% of conservative Republicans.
• Setting stronger fuel efficiency standards for cars, trucks, and SUVs: 78% of registered voters, 93% of liberal Democrats, 89% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 77% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 53% of conservative Republicans.
• Installing 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations across the U.S. by 2030: 67% of registered voters, 89% of liberal Democrats, 79% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 58% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 37% of conservative Republicans.
• Fewer registered voters (44%) support a policy requiring that, by 2030, all new cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in the U.S. are electric vehicles, including 75% of liberal Democrats, 50% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 34% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 15% of conservative Republicans.

 

2.6. Half of registered voters think subsidies for the fossil fuel industry should be decreased.

About half of registered voters (49%) think federal subsidies for the fossil fuel industry should be decreased, while fewer (39%) think they should remain the same as they currently are and only 11% think they should be increased.

Majorities of liberal Democrats (74%) and Independents (57%), and about half of moderate/conservative Democrats (51%) think fossil fuel subsidies should be decreased. Fewer liberal/moderate Republicans (37%) and conservative Republicans (27%) think fossil fuel subsidies should be decreased, but few think they should be increased, while half or more think they should remain about the same (49% and 57%, respectively).

 

2.7. More than half of registered voters think subsidies for the renewable energy industry should be increased.

More than half of registered voters (55%) think federal subsidies for the renewable energy industry should be increased, while fewer (32%) think they should remain the same as they currently are and only 13% think they should be decreased.

Majorities of liberal Democrats (78%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (67%) think renewable energy subsidies should be increased. About half of liberal/moderate Republicans (48%) and Independents (47%) also think renewable energy subsidies should be increased. About the same percentage of conservative Republicans think fossil fuel subsidies should be increased (28%) as think they should be decreased (27%), while 45% of conservative Republicans think the subsidies should remain the same as they currently are.

 

2.8. Most registered voters support conservation and restoration policies.

Registered voters across the political spectrum support a range of conservation and restoration policies, including:

• Providing federal funding to help farmers improve farming practices to protect and restore the soil so it absorbs and stores more carbon: 86% of registered voters, 97% of liberal Democrats, 91% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 83% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 73% of conservative Republicans.
• Re-establishing the Civilian Conservation Corps, which would employ workers to protect natural ecosystems, plant trees in rural and urban areas, and restore the soil on farmlands: 85% of registered voters, 97% of liberal Democrats, 90% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 81% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 71% of conservative Republicans.
• Creating a jobs program that would hire unemployed coal workers to safely close down old coal mines and restore the natural landscape: 83% of registered voters, 97% of liberal Democrats, 92% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 78% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 65% of conservative Republicans.
• Creating a jobs program that would hire unemployed oil and gas workers to safely close down thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells, which are a source of water and methane pollution: 83% of registered voters, 97% of liberal Democrats, 91% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 76% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 66% of conservative Republicans.
• Setting aside 30% of America’s lands and waters for conservation by 2030: 76% of registered voters, 94% of liberal Democrats, 86% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 67% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 56% of conservative Republicans.
• Increasing federal funding to low-income communities and communities of color who are disproportionally harmed by air and water pollution: 68% of registered voters, 92% of liberal Democrats, 83% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 56% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 36% of conservative Republicans.

 

2.9.  Most registered voters do not support the expansion of fossil-fuel production.

Forty-seven percent of registered voters support expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast, while four in ten (40%) support drilling and mining for fossil fuels on public land in the U.S. Majorities of liberal/moderate Republicans and conservative Republicans support expanding offshore drilling (59% of liberal/moderate Republicans and 72% of conservative Republicans) as well as drilling and mining on public lands (53% of liberal/moderate Republicans and 65% of conservative Republicans). Fewer Democrats support these policies.

Fewer registered voters (28%) support drilling for oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), while a large majority (71%) oppose it (see Data Tables). About half of conservative Republicans (53%) support this policy, but liberal/moderate Republicans (35%), moderate/conservative Democrats (17%), and liberal Democrats (13%) are much less likely to support drilling in ANWR.

 

2.10. A majority of registered voters would support a president declaring a national emergency to act on global warming.

More than half of registered voters (56%) would “strongly” or “somewhat” support a U.S. president declaring global warming a national emergency to act on it if Congress does not. This action has the support of large majorities of both liberal Democrats (84%, with 51% saying they “strongly support” it; see Data Tables) and moderate/conservative Democrats (79%). About half of Independents (54%, see Data Tables), and 45% of liberal/moderate Republicans support the president declaring a national emergency to act on global warming, while only 15% of conservative Republicans support it (and 85% of conservative Republicans oppose it, including 64% who “strongly oppose” it, see Data Tables).

 

2.11. Liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans have heard the most about the “Green New Deal.”

About one in five registered voters (18%) have heard “a lot” about the policy proposal called the “Green New Deal” (see section 2.12 for a description of the policy). This represents an increase of 15 percentage points since this question was first asked in December 2018. Conservative Republicans were most likely to have heard “a lot” about the Green New Deal (27%), followed by liberal Democrats (23%).

Overall, relatively few registered voters have heard a lot about the Green New Deal, which suggests that opinions about the proposal may continue to change over time.

 

2.12. A majority of registered voters support a “Green New Deal.”

As we reported in 2019, a majority of registered voters support the policy aspirations included in the Green New Deal, although support decreased during the time period between December 2018 and April 2019, particularly among conservative Republicans and regular viewers of the Fox News Channel.Gustafson, A., Rosenthal, S.A., Ballew, M.T., Goldberg, M. H., Bergquist, P., Kotcher, J. E., Maibach, E. W., & Leiserowitz, A. (2019). The development of partisan polarization over the Green New Deal. Nature Climate Change, 9, 940-944. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0621-7 The description of the policy was summarized based on a 2018 policy report: “the Green New Deal will produce jobs and strengthen America’s economy by accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy. The Deal would generate 100% of the nation’s electricity from clean, renewable sources within the next 10 years; upgrade the nation’s energy grid, buildings, and transportation infrastructure; increase energy efficiency; invest in green technology research and development; and provide training for jobs in the new green economy.”

As of December 2020, about two in three registered voters (66%) support the Green New Deal as described above, including a large majority of liberal Democrats (91%) and conservative/moderate Democrats (86%). About six in ten liberal/moderate Republicans (59%) but fewer conservative Republicans (24%) also support the Green New Deal.

Overall, support for the Green New Deal among registered voters has decreased by six percentage points since our previous survey in April 2020, and by 15 points since we first asked this question in December 2018.