Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Yale Survey: 91% of Americans Say Developing Sources of Clean Energy Should Be A Priority

Check out the numbers in this new Yale survey on public support for various climate and energy policies. Listed below are the highlights; the whole study has some very nice charts, and comparisons going back to November of 2008 on some of the questions.

For 2011, 1,010 adults surveyed this spring said...


  • 71 percent of Americans say global warming should be a very high (13%), high (27%), or medium (31%) priority for the president and Congress, including 50 percent of Republicans, 66 percent of Independents, and 88 percent of Democrats.

  • 91 percent of Americans say developing sources of clean energy should be a very high (32%), high (35%), or medium (24%) priority for the president and Congress, including 85 percent of Republicans, 89 percent of Independents, and 97 percent of Democrats.

  • Majorities of Americans want more action to address global warming from corporations (65%), citizens themselves (63%), the U.S. Congress (57%), President Obama (54%), as well as their own state and local officials.

  • Despite ongoing concerns about the economy, 67 percent of Americans say the U.S. should undertake a large (29%) or medium-scale effort (38%) to reduce global warming, even if it has large or moderate economic costs.

  • 82 percent of Americans (including 76% of Republicans, 74% of Independents, and 94% of Democrats) say that protecting the environment either improves economic growth and provides new jobs (56%), or has no effect (26%). Only 18 percent say environmental protection reduces economic growth and costs jobs.

  • Large majorities (including Republicans, Independents and Democrats) say it is important for their own community to take steps to protect the following from global warming: public health (81%), the water supply (80%), agriculture (79%), wildlife (77%), and forests (76%).

  • 84 percent of Americans support funding more research into renewable energy sources, including 81 percent of Republicans, 81 percent of Independents, and 90 percent of Democrats.

  • 68 percent of Americans support requiring electric utilities to produce at least 20% of their electricity from renewable energy sources, even if it costs the average household an extra $100 a year, including 58 percent of Republicans, 64 percent of Independents, and 82 percent of Democrats.

  • 66 percent support expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas, up 4 points since June of 2010.

  • 47 percent support building more nuclear power plants, down 6 points since June of 2010. Only 33 percent support building a nuclear power plant in their own local area.

  • Majorities support local policies, including installing bike lanes on city streets (77%), more public transportation (80%), requiring all new homes to be more energy efficient (71%), and changing zoning to promote mixed development (57%), decrease sprawl (56%), and more energy efficient apartments instead of single family homes (52%).

  • Does this scream "winning issue", or what? Protection of the environment, a 20% renewable requirement, the funding for research - all enjoy strong bipartisan support. And you don't have to be afraid of the global warming skeptics either.

    Get on it Democrats. Don't let the Koch-funded monster-shouters control the direction of this argument. Apparently the American people already know better.