Public Support for Climate and Energy Policies in November 2011

A national survey of the American public finds high levels of support for climate and clean energy policies across the political spectrum.

 

Yale and George Mason University researchers found that a majority of Americans:

  • Believe that global warming and developing sources of clean energy should be a priority for government (especially among Democrats).
  • Think that corporations and industry should be doing more to address global warming.
  • Support a revenue-neutral carbon tax to “help create jobs and decrease pollution,” regulation of carbon dioxide as a pollutant, tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles and solar panels, and an international treaty to cut emissions.
  • Say that protecting the environment improves economic growth and provides new jobs.

 

While a majority of Americans oppose federal subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, they do support an expansion of offshore drilling.
 

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