4. "Green New Deal" is popular mystery to voters
Two pieces of energy and climate polling out yesterday caught my eye...
Green New Deal: A survey from Yale and George Mason universities find that respondents really like the "Green New Deal," which a growing number of Democrats led by progressive newcomer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are pushing. The details...
- 81% of registered voters either "strongly" or "somewhat" support these features of the deal: a move to 100% renewable power within 10 years, upgrades to grid and other infrastructure, and job training.
- This includes nearly two-thirds of Republican respondents.
But, but, but: There are some big caveats here. The poll question only partially describes the sweeping climate and economic proposal, which also includes job guarantees, universal health care and a lot more aspects. I don't know how that might change the answers one way or the other.
Of note: The analysis accompanying the poll makes 2 other big points...
- 82% of voters had never heard of the idea.
- The question did not mention that the proposal is coming from the left.
The bottom line: "For any survey respondents who were previously unaware of the Deal, it is likely that their reactions have not yet been influenced by partisan loyalty," per the analysis. Polarization over it could grow moving forward, they said.
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Climate change: Via CNBC, a new NBC/WSJ poll shows that "66 percent of Americans now say they've seen enough evidence to justify action on climate change, up from 51 percent two decades ago."
- However, "A 56 percent majority of the GOP says either that concern about climate change is unwarranted or that more research is necessary before taking action."