And while finding new energy and protecting the environment are often seen
as conflicting goals, the public makes no such distinction. In concert
with rising energy worries, Americans are becoming increasingly anxious
about the environment. In January, 57% rated "protecting the environment"
a top priority, up from 49% a year ago and just 39% in 2003.
The outgrowth of this concern about both energy and the environment is
that the public expresses almost universal support for solutions that
address both problems at the same time. Fully 86% favor the government
requiring better fuel efficiency standards for cars, trucks and SUVs, and
82% favor increased federal funding for research on wind, solar and
hydrogen energy.
Even more striking in today's politicized environment, is the level of
bipartisan consensus behind these proposals. Republicans back higher fuel
efficiency standards as uniformly as Democrats, and, if anything, are even
stronger backers of federal research programs on alternative energy
sources.
Even expanding government spending on mass transportation, supported by
two-in-three Americans overall, is backed equally by both Democrats and
Republicans.
But other proposals are far more divisive -- both across party lines and
within each party itself. There is growing opposition to the idea of
giving tax cuts to energy companies to support oil exploration, at least
partly in reaction to record profits posted by major oil companies. Also,
just 44% of Americans support the idea of promoting nuclear power to
address the country's energy needs, while 49% are opposed. Most Democrats
oppose these proposals and most Republicans favor them, but the parties
themselves are hardly unified. For example, while roughly four-in-ten
Democrats favor promoting nuclear power, an equal number of Republicans
oppose the idea. Similarly, while 57% of Democrats oppose allowing oil
drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a third supports the
proposal -- hardly a unified party position. These internal conflicts
within both parties over the specifics of environmental protection and
energy development pose a potential roadblock to consensus on policy
alternatives.
The extent to which constituencies within each party differ starkly over
environmental priorities was highlighted by the Pew Research Center's 2005
Political Typology. That survey, which classified segments of the U.S.
electorate in terms of their underlying values, found that Americans take
an overwhelmingly pro-environmental position on one of the survey's core
questions. More than three-quarters of the public (77%) say that the
country should do whatever it takes to protect the environment. Just 18%
take the opposing position, that the country has gone too far in its
efforts to protect the environment.
But a critical subgroup within the Republican coalition disagrees with
this overall assessment. Enterprisers -- Republicans who take a strong
pro-business and small-government position on most issues -- are of the
view that the country has already gone too far on the environment. Social
Conservatives and Pro-Government Conservatives, on the other hand, are as
firmly behind environmental protection as most Democratic and centrist
groups.
And when the potential impact of environmental regulations on jobs and the
economy are raised, significant divisions within the Democratic base also
emerge. Many of those who are financially struggling and skeptical of both
government and business -- a group we refer to as Disadvantaged Democrats
-- say that environmental regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the
economy. Other Democrats are far more likely to believe that environmental
regulations are worth these costs. On the right, Enterprisers continue to
diverge from the views of other GOP groups in their criticism of
environmental efforts.
Concrete actions that both protect the environment and address the
nation's energy needs are unlikely as long as these issues divide the
parties internally at least as much as they divide Republicans from
Democrats. While there is broad public backing for such government
actions, advancing these policies may require an unusual coalition that
energizes segments of both parties' bases.
The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan "fact tank" that provides
information on the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping America and the
world. It does so by conducting public opinion polling and social science
research; by reporting news and analyzing news coverage; and by holding
forums and briefings. It does not take positions on policy issues.
Information courtesy of the Pew Research Center for the People & the
Press
