Nov 26, 2019 - Energy & Environment

Gauging the public pulse on climate and energy policy

Ben Geman, author of Generate
Expand chart
Adapted from Pew Research Center; Chart: Axios Visuals

The Pew Research Center yesterday unveiled a wide-ranging poll on U.S. attitudes about climate and energy policy.

What they found: There is bipartisan support for renewables but steep divides over fossil fuels.

The big picture: Overall, the survey of over 3,600 adults finds that 67% think the federal government is doing too little to combat climate change.

  • There's a partisan gulf there too, with 90% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning adults having that view, compared to 39% in the Republican and lean-Republican camp.

The intrigue: One finding that caught my eye was the demographic split among Republicans/lean-Republicans on the question of whether the government is doing enough.

  • Among respondents who are boomers and older, 31% say there's not enough action. That rises to 41% among Gen Xers, and 52% who are millennials and younger.
  • But, but, but: The margin of error in the sub-groupings is ±4.1% for the boomers and older, but nearly 7% for the younger generations, so treat the numbers with some caution. But the trend is there.

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