WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Citizens For Responsible Energy Solutions Forum (CRES Forum) released its latest national poll that suggests clean energy policy has reached high levels of support across the political spectrum, including with a majority of Republicans, self-identified conservatives, and those who voted for President Trump in the 2016 election. Commissioned by CRES Forum and WPA Intelligence, the poll found strong support for candidates who back clean energy solutions among likely voters regardless of party affiliation. Further, message testing results illustrate a path forward for the Republican party, cautioning that the party stands to lose the most if its candidates ignore clean energy issues completely and recommending that candidates gain support by addressing clean energy from an economic and national security standpoint.
“I’m impressed by the overwhelming support for clean energy across the board. It’s clear that there is a role for government in supporting research and development for energy innovation. Clean energy is a sector that is already leading in job growth and promises to be a growth sector for years to come,” said Charles Hernick, Director of Policy and Advocacy for CRES Forum. “When you dig into the data it’s interesting to see how important clean energy is to key demographics, particularly millennials and Latinos. It’s encouraging to see such high levels of support in these important demographic groups.”
“These survey results represent a shift in the public opinion on clean energy,” pollster Ashlee Rich Stephenson of WPA Intelligence said. “We’re now moving into an era where there’s growing support for this issue set across partisan breaks, positioning clean energy as a priority among broad demographic groups. Likely voters across the board indicate support for candidates who back the development of newer, cleaner, more reliable energy sources and technologies. Additionally, message testing results indicate that Republican candidates have an opportunity to grow their ballot support if they contextualize clean energy issues to provide tangible proof of their proven economic benefit.”
Likely voters favor federal government solutions to developing newer, cleaner, more reliable energy sources. A strong majority (75%) of likely voters favor the federal government playing a role in the development of more energy resources. Similarly, 72% of likely voters favor the federal government addressing climate change by taking action to reduce emissions.
Millennials, Hispanics and conservatives support candidates who back clean energy technologies. When it comes to innovation, Americans across the board are in agreement. 72% of likely voters indicated that they would vote for a candidate who supports clean energy technologies. Poll results found that millennial (75%) and Hispanic (77%) voters are significant drivers this support. Notably, 57% of conservatives, as well as a majority of Trump 2016 voters, said they would vote for a candidate who backed clean energy technologies.
Young Republican and conservative voters see a role for the federal government in reducing emissions in order to address climate change. The results of this poll are consistent with previous polls when it comes to examining the opinion of younger Republicans. Research continues to reveal that young Republicans support candidates who have a track record of clean energy reform. 65% of millennials would like the federal government to address the cause of climate change by reducing carbon and methane emissions. Contrary to popular belief, a majority (52%) of self-identified conservatives agree.
Likely voters support re-entering the Paris Agreement. Fielded just one month after President Donald Trump decided to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, this national poll found that a strong majority (67%) of likely voters would be in support of the U.S. re-entering the international agreement.
The memorandum summarizing the poll’s findings can be viewed here.
Methodology
Citizens For Responsible Energy Solutions Forum and WPA Intelligence fielded a national online survey among n=1,600 likely voters from July 5-9, 2017. The margin of error is ±3.1% in 95 out of 100 cases.
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CRES Forum is a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, non-profit organization committed to educating the public and influencing the national conversation about commonsense clean energy.