Drew Wilson
A national poll released Wednesday by the Conservative Energy Network found an overwhelming majority of American voters want the nation to take steps that would lead to more domestic clean energy production.
The poll, conducted Nov. 18-21, found 91% of voters believe supply chain infrastructure should be bolstered to ensure components important to clean energy development are in the United States.
Voters also said they believe the country should place more emphasis on clean energy, with solar power proving the most popular at 70%. Three in five voters say they would like to see a more concerted effort to develop windpower and hydropower.
Coal, meanwhile, is under water with 51% of voters saying they want to move away from it. A plurality said they were OK with natural gas and nuclear power, though the latter’s margin was razor thin at 37%-34%.
“This year’s survey results confirm that all Americans across the political spectrum want to see more clean energy production that is American-made,” said Mark Pischea, president and CEO of CEN. “90% of Americans view climate change as a threat to some extent.”
However, Pischea said clean energy support should not be conflated with support for Democratic politicians or climate goals.
The poll showed as much, with just 20% of voters supporting government mandates, subsidies or quotas to advance clean energy development, though voters said the Democratic Party would best handle the environment and climate change issues, 42%-28% and 42%-25% respectively.
But Democrats face an uphill battle to retain control of Congress next year. Echoing other recent polls, CEN found 53% of voters disapprove of President Joe Biden near the end of his first year in office. The measure also found 63% believe the country is headed in the right direction.
“Over the last year, we have seen conservatives across all levels of government begin to tackle this issue head on. As our polling has consistently shown over the last half decade, voters are skeptical of lofty liberal political rhetoric,” Pischea said. “Rather, voters continue to be more comfortable with pragmatic policy leadership from conservatives that produces meaningful economic development gains while reducing emissions.”
The poll was conducted online by Public Opinion Strategies on behalf of CEN. It has a sample size of 1,000 registered voters and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.53%.
