The Clean Energy Revolution’s Not That Popular

Politicians, governments, corporations and activists have spearheaded a transformation of the energy industry, but how do voters feel about the seismic shift toward renewables and green technology? (The Honest Broker)

New YouGov/American Enterprise Institute survey data: Generally, the public is much less bullish on the clean energy revolution.

• Less than 25% of voters support a rapid shift to green energy, with even lower support among the working class (under 20%).

• 56% of voters support increased domestic fossil fuel production.

• Around two-thirds of voters expect unexpected problems from moving away from fossil fuels, especially regarding rising energy costs and grid reliability.

What about climate change? Voters tend to be more worried about their pocketbooks than environmental issues.

• Climate change ranks 15th out of 18 key issues voters want the president and Congress to address, and only 29% of voters find reaching net zero emissions quickly to be very important, while 66% prioritize keeping consumer costs low.

• Only 47% would support a $1/month fee on their electricity bill to fight climate change, with support dropping to 26% for a $20 fee and a further decline to 19% at $40.

• 37% of voters prioritize the cost of energy, 36% prioritize reliability, while only 19% prioritize the climate impact of their energy use.

Big picture: The Biden administration made significant investments in green energy initiatives, including $369 billion earmarked specifically for climate and energy-related spending in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Fossil fuels still generate the lion’s share of U.S. electricity, but they’re expected to continue to decline as green energy investment accelerates.

The vibes: A plurality (49%) of Americans say climate activism doesn’t increase public support for taking action on climate change, while 21% say it makes them less likely to support the issue, according to a Pew Research Center survey from last year.

Related: Even those who sympathize with climate activism have expressed concerns about how some elements of the movement get their message across. (Below is an image from Climate Defiance protesters’ recent shout down of center-left political blogger Matt Iglesias.)

Bubba’s Two Cents

I imagine that clean-energy advocates would respond to the above data by saying that the environmental threat posed by fossil fuels is so dangerous leaders should be ready and willing to override voters’ opinions on the issue. Whether that’s true or not, it’s always easier to get policies passed when the public’s got your back. It’d be smart for climate activists and supporters of clean energy to sharpen their messaging and get the American people on their side, because what they’re doing right now doesn’t appear to be working.