The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication has for many years been exploring how Americans, and other nationalities view the climate crisis. Notable among the program’s publications is the regular assessment of the status of the Six Americas. – Alan Journet
Anthony Leiserowitz, Edward Maibach, Seth Rosenthal, John Kotcher, Emily Goddard, Jennifer Carman, Teresa Myers, Marija Verner, Jennifer Marlon, Matthew Goldberg, Joshua Ettinger, Julia Fine and Kathryn Thier, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population (n = 1,013; including the 890 registered voters whose data are used in this report), these findings describe how registered voters view a variety of domestic climate and energy policies. The survey was fielded from December 11 – 22, 2024, after the 2024 U.S. Presidential election.
This executive summary mostly presents the results for all registered voters, while the main text of the report also breaks the results down by political party and ideology.
Global Warming and Clean Energy as Government Priorities
● 54% of registered voters think global warming should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress.
● 63% of registered voters think developing sources of clean energy should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress.
Policies to Reduce the Pollution that Causes Global Warming
Majorities of registered voters support a range of policies to reduce carbon pollution and promote clean energy. These include:
● 88% support federal funding to help farmers improve practices to protect and restore the soil so it absorbs and stores more carbon.
● 77% support funding more research into renewable energy sources.
● 74% support setting strict limits on methane emissions from oil and gas production.
● 73% support regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant.
● 69% support tax credits or rebates to encourage people to buy electric appliances, such as heat pumps and induction stoves.
● 69% support funding more research on global warming and climate change by federal agencies such as NASA, NOAA, and the EPA.
● 67% support requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a carbon tax and using the money to reduce other taxes by an equal amount.
● 63% support transitioning the U.S. economy from fossil fuels to 100% clean energy by 2050.
● 58% support tax rebates for people who purchase electric vehicles.
Energy Production
● 76% of registered voters support generating renewable energy on public land in the U.S.
● 51% support expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast.
● 46% support drilling and mining fossil fuels on public land in the U.S.
● 32% support drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
