Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

We are pleased to announce the release of the latest update to the Yale Climate Opinion Maps (YCOM), our interactive tool mapping climate change beliefs, risk perceptions, and policy support across every state, county, congressional district, and metro area in the U.S. This update adds four new measures: local solar farm support (57% nationally), local wind farm support (53% nationally), opposition to fossil fuel drilling and mining on public land (54% nationally), and preference for candidates who support action on global warming (57% nationally). 

Key Findings:

1. Majorities in more than half of U.S. states support building solar farms (44 states) and wind farms (29 states) in their local area.
2. In all states and congressional districts, more people support generating renewable energy on public land than support drilling and mining for fossil fuels on public land.
3. 57% of Americans would prefer to vote for a candidate who supports action on global warming, but this is spatially varied, even among neighboring counties.

Support for Local Renewable Energy

Despite the current administration’s efforts to block projects, renewable energy in the U.S. is surging, with solar generation up 37% and wind up 12% in 2025 from the prior year, making it more important than ever to understand public support for renewable energy projects among local residents. All three of the top solar states, California (63%), Texas (53%), and Florida (60%), have majority support for solar farms, with less than 16% opposed (Fig. 1). Public support for wind farms is similar: 53% of people in Texas – the leading producer of wind electricity in the U.S. – support building local wind farms, and the other top wind electricity producers – Oklahoma (46%), Iowa (47%), and Kansas (49%) – are not far behind (Fig. 1). Similarly, no more than 25% of the public in any of these states are opposed to building wind farms in their local area. 

Figure 1. Across all of the top wind and solar-producing states, majorities are either supportive or neutral about local wind and solar farms. [Explore the maps]

Across the country, new renewable energy projects are under construction, and many local residents are in favor. In Coconino County, Arizona, where 62% and 66% of people, respectively, support local wind and solar farms, a 323-megawatt wind farm is currently in development (Fig. 2). One state over in New Mexico, a 3.5-gigawatt wind farm – the largest in U.S. history – is underway across Lincoln, Torrance, and San Miguel Counties, where 50%, 49%, and 63%, respectively, support building wind farms in their local area (Fig. 2). Despite efforts from the current administration to halt construction of the Vineyard Wind Project, 62% of people in the coastal county of Barnstable County, Massachusetts support local wind farms, and construction was completed in March 2026 (Fig. 2). Our maps also show that in Kern County, California – home to the largest solar and wind farms currently in the U.S. – 53% of the public supports local solar farms and 51% supports local wind farms, with only 13% and 18% opposed, respectively, and the remainder neutral. 

Figure 2. Wind farms are under development across the county, and many local residents support or are neutral about these efforts. [Explore the maps]

Generating Energy on Public Lands

In 35 out of 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, majorities oppose drilling and mining for fossil fuels on public land (Fig. 3). Even in states that produce the most coal, including Wyoming and West Virginia, 43% and 41%, respectively, oppose drilling and mining for fossil fuels on public land in the U.S. (Fig. 3). In California, a frontier for fossil fuel extraction on public land, majorities in all but two congressional districts oppose drilling and mining for fossil fuels on public land. In the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area and North Slope Borough in Alaska, which include most of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 55% and 47% of people oppose drilling and mining for fossil fuels on public land (and 66% and 61%, respectively, oppose drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge specifically). Additionally, 75% of Americans overall support generating renewable energy on public land, including majorities of people in every U.S. county and over 60% in every congressional district (Fig. 3). Across all states and congressional districts, more people support generating renewable energy on public land than support drilling and mining for fossil fuels on public land. 

Figure 3. In all states and congressional districts, many oppose drilling and mining for fossil fuels on public land, and large majorities of people support generating renewable energy on public land. [Explore the maps]

Voting Preferences and Global Warming

Most people in the U.S. (57%) would prefer to vote for a candidate for public office who supports action on global warming, but this varies geographically, ranging from 40% in West Virginia to 67% in Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Vermont (plus 87% in the District of Columbia). Notably, candidate preference varies significantly even within states. For example, 67% in Todd County, South Dakota, whose population is majority Native American, would prefer to vote for a candidate who supports action on global warming, compared with only 33% in neighboring Tripp County (Fig. 4). In Wyoming, 72% of people in wealthy Teton County, home to both Grand Teton National Park and part of Yellowstone National Park, would prefer a candidate who supports global warming action, as opposed to only 37% and 38% in nearby Lincoln and Sublette Counties. While only 46% of people in Alabama overall want candidates who support global warming action, large majorities (up to 70%) in many counties in the state say they would prefer a candidate who supports action on global warming (Fig. 4). 

Figure 4. Voting preference for candidates who support action on global warming varies spatially, even among neighboring counties and congressional districts. [Explore the maps]

These maps are a valuable resource for understanding and communicating where the public stands on renewable energy, climate change beliefs, and related policies. Explore them on our website by clicking and zooming into your state, congressional district, metro area, or county. For more on the methods behind the tool and data, please see the ’Methodology’ section and the original published papers: 

Marlon, J. R., Wang, X., Bergquist, P., Howe, P., Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Mildenberger, M., and Rosenthal, S. “Change in US state-level public opinion about climate change: 2008–2020.” Environmental Research Letters 17, no. 12 (2022). 124046.

Howe, P., Mildenberger, M., Marlon, J., & Leiserowitz, A. (2015) “Geographic variation in opinions on climate change at state and local scales in the USA,” Nature Climate Change 5. DOI: 10.1038/nclimate2583.

Further Reading from Yale Climate Connections:

• How blue California and red Texas became green powerhouses
• What’s the cheapest way to make electricity at scale? The answer may surprise you.
• Climate Stories Near You

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