A new study of American public opinion conducted by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communications finds bipartisan support for clean energy and global warming policies. The study reports the results of an April 23 to May 12, 2011 nationwide survey that included interviews with 1,010 adults.
Public Support for Climate Change & Energy Policies in May 2011 examines voters opinions on a number of the key environmental issues now being debated on the presidential campaign trail, just as the 2012 election gets under way:
Clean energy
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
Renewable energy
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.
Green jobs
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.
Global warming
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
