Originally published by Anthony Leiserowitz on LinkedIn: Trump voters support action on climate and clean energy
U.S. President Trump has questioned the reality of global warming and cast doubt on America’s participation in global efforts to address the problem. We conducted a nationally representative survey shortly after the November election to investigate Trump voters’ views about global warming and clean energy.
Overall, Trump voters are not all the same. Many of his supporters believe climate change is real and support regulation and even carbon taxes to reduce global warming pollution.
Key findings include:
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About half of Trump voters (49%) think global warming is happening, while fewer than one in three (30%) think global warming is not happening.
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About half of Trump voters (47%) also say the U.S. should participate in the international agreement to limit global warming. By contrast, only 28% say the U.S. should not participate.
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More than six in ten Trump voters (62%) support taxing and/or regulating the pollution that causes global warming, with nearly one in three (31%) supporting both approaches. In contrast, only about one in five (21%) support doing neither.
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Seven in ten Trump voters (71%) support funding more research into clean energy and providing tax rebates to people who purchase energy efficient vehicles and solar panels (69%).
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Nearly half of Trump voters (48%) support requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a carbon tax and using the money to reduce other taxes by an equal amount.
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Almost half (48%) support setting strict carbon dioxide emissions limits on existing coal-fired power plants to reduce global warming and improve public health, even if the cost of electricity to consumers and companies would likely increase.
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Half of Trump voters say transitioning from fossil fuels toward clean energy will either improve economic growth (29%) or have no impact (21%).
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Nearly three in four Trump voters (73%) say that, in the future, the U.S. should use more renewable energy (solar, wind, and geothermal). One in three (33%) say that the U.S. should use fossil fuels less in the future.
Like most Americans, majorities of Trump voters support the transition to clean energy. If President Trump wants to lead the nation and world toward energy independence and a cleaner future, his voters will support him.
The results are available in more detail online.
The findings come from a nationally-representative survey (Climate Change in the American Mind) conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. The survey of 1,226 American adults, aged 18 and older, was conducted November 18 - December 1, 2016 on the GfK KnowledgePanel.