Survey finds most Americans view global warming, clean energy as priorities

By Kathleen Hart

 

A majority of Americans said the president and Congress should make global warming and developing clean energy a medium or high priority, researchers at Yale University and George Mason University found in a survey released Nov. 13.

More than 75% of Americans said that global warming should be a priority for the president and Congress, with 18% saying it should be a very high priority, 25% a high priority and 34% a medium priority. Only 23% of those surveyed said it should be a low priority, according to the survey.

A majority of Americans said the president and Congress should make developing sources of clean energy a priority, with 31% saying it should be a very high priority, 38% a high priority and 23% a medium priority. Only 8% said developing clean energy sources should be a low priority. The results are based on a national survey conducted Aug. 31-Sept. 12 by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.

About 61% of Americans surveyed said the U.S. should reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions regardless of what other countries do. Just 9% said the U.S. should reduce its emissions only if other countries do, while 6% said the U.S. should not reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Most Americans said they support more research into renewable energy, providing tax rebates for energy-efficient cars or solar panels, and regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant. Fully 73% of Americans said they support funding more research into renewable energy sources as well as providing tax rebates for people who purchase energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels.

A majority of Americans, 66%, said they support regulating CO2 as a pollutant.

A majority of those surveyed, 59%, said they support eliminating all subsidies for the fossil-fuel industry. However, 58% said they support expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast.

Some 78% of Americans surveyed said that in the future, the U.S. should use renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and geothermal more than the nation does today, with 56% saying much more and 22% saying somewhat more.

Few Americans familiar with fracking

The survey found that few Americans have heard or read much about hydraulic fracturing, with most of those surveyed undecided about whether they support it. Only 9% of Americans said they have heard or read "a lot" about fracking; 22% said they have heard or read "some" about it; and 16% said they have heard or read "a little" about it. More than one-third of Americans, 39%, said they have never heard or read about fracking, while 14% responded "don't know/refused."

When provided with the definition of fracking as "a way to extract natural gas from shale rock deep underground," 22% of Americans said they support it and 20% said they oppose it, according to the survey. A majority, 58%, said they were undecided or "don't know."

 

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