New Survey, Same Results: Voters Prefer Affordable Energy over Climate Agenda
Voters reject policies, like carbon taxes, that make energy more expensive and believe consumers, not government, should decide what types of cars people can buy.
WASHINGTON DC (06/01/2023) – The American Energy Alliance and the Committee to Unleash Prosperity recently sponsored a nationwide survey of 1000 likely voters (3.1 percent margin of error) conducted by MWR Strategies in the first two weeks of May. The survey can be found here (slide deck) and here (written results).
AEA President Thomas Pyle issued the following statement:
The results of our new survey make it clear that voters prefer energy affordability and choice over government efforts to address climate change and they overwhelmingly reject the associated costs.
Despite the narrative driven by the legacy media, there has been little change in voter sentiment with respect to energy and climate change. If anything, voters have even less trust in government when it comes to the types of energy we use or the vehicles we drive.
The survey asked about a tax on carbon dioxide. This year, by a margin of 44 percentage points (65-21). Last year, it was opposed by a margin of 40 points (63-23). The year before, it was opposed by 34 points (62-38).
We asked about banning gasoline-powered vehicles. This year, it was opposed by a margin of 67 points (82-15). Last year, it was opposed by a margin of 63 points (76-13). The year before, it was opposed by a margin of 66 points (75-9).
In short, there has been a lot of durability of sentiment on this issue, and where there has been change, it has run counter to the policy preferences of the left.
Michael McKenna, who conducted the research, added some context:
As we have seen across a number of years, climate change is not a priority for most. Just 28 respondents (2.8 percent) identified it as the most pressing issue facing the United States, and just 29 more (2.9 percent) identified it as the second most pressing issue facing the United States. Compare this to the 55 percent that identified the economy as either the first or second most important issue facing the United States.
Given that, it is not surprising that there continues to be limited appetite to pay to address climate change. When asked what they would be willing to pay each year to address climate change, the median response was 20 dollars, and 35 percent (including 15 percent of self-identified Democrats) said they are unwilling to pay anything. There has been some rapid erosion in these responses: last year, the median response was 55 dollars.
Steve Moore, from the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, issued the following statement:
The American people want affordable energy and to make their own choice of what to drive. This poll shows Republicans have a huge opportunity to score political points by getting out in front of the parade against Biden’s destructive anti-energy agenda.
Additional Resources:
- Topline Survey Results
- Survey Results in Slide Deck
- Memo from MWR Strategies
- 150 Ways President Biden and the Democrats Have Made it Harder to Produce Oil & Gas
- AEA Previous Survey Database
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