NEW POLL: VOTERS STRONGLY SUPPORT BIDEN’S AMERICAN JOBS PLAN

Washington, D.C. – Today, as part of an ongoing polling partnership with Climate Power, Data For Progress released a new survey finding that an overwhelming, bipartisan majority of voters support the key climate and clean energy components of the American Jobs Plan. Voters support improving the resiliency of roads and bridges to the impacts of climate change (87 percent), removing and replacing all lead pipes (85 percent), modernizing the electricity grid (84 percent), and building new renewable energy projects like wind and solar power (70 percent). The polling also showed continued and growing support for bold climate action as part of infrastructure, with nearly two-thirds of voters (62 percent) agreeing that lawmakers should keep ambitious climate and clean energy investments in the American Jobs Plan.

“Over and over, voters are speaking up about their support for ambitious action on climate and clean energy,” said Lori Lodes, executive director of Climate Power. “A bipartisan majority of voters all agree that Congress should pass an infrastructure plan that prioritizes climate action and makes big, bold investments to create millions of good paying, union clean energy jobs. It’s clear that Americans want the American Jobs Plan, and now, Congress must act.”

“With widespread bipartisan support for the climate and clean energy components of the American Jobs Plan, it is clear that voters across the country support the ambitious federal investments proposed by President Biden, ” said Danielle Deiseroth, Senior Climate Analyst at Data for Progress. “As lawmakers take up the American Jobs Plan in Congress, they should feel confident knowing that voters want the government to make bold investments that will transform America’s infrastructure and energy grid.”

The survey’s key findings include:

• An overwhelming majority of all voters support the key climate and clean energy components of the American Jobs Plan, including removing and replacing all lead pipes (85 percent), modernizing the electricity grid (84 percent), and building new renewable energy projects like wind and solar power (70 percent)
• A bipartisan majority of voters (72 percent) support the government making investments to create clean energy jobs
• Nearly two-thirds of voters (62 percent) agree lawmakers should keep ambitious climate and clean energy investments in the American Jobs Plan rather than narrow the focus of the legislation to only roads and bridges
• Over two-thirds of voters (67 percent) agree the government should make investments to create clean energy jobs, even if they raise taxes on large corporations and the wealthiest Americans to pay for these investments

A more detailed rundown of the survey’s findings can be found here.

Climate and Clean Energy Proposals in the American Jobs Plan Enjoy Widespread Bipartisan Support

A majority of all likely voters support all of the key American Jobs Plan proposals that Data for Progress tested. Among the most popular proposals in the American Jobs Plan are: making roads and bridges more resilient to the impacts of climate change (87 percent support), removing and replacing all lead drinking water pipes to ensure all Americans have access to clean drinking water (85 percent), modernizing the electricity grid to improve grid efficiency and resiliency (84 percent), and expanding broadband internet access to reach all Americans (80 percent).

Proposals that include support from over two-thirds of all likely voters are cleaning up abandoned oil and gas wells (76 percent), investing in the research and development of new American-made energy technologies (74 percent), weatherizing and retrofitting homes, buildings, and schools (73 percent), building new renewable energy projects like wind and solar power (70 percent), and creating a new Climate Conservation Corps (69 percent).

Other proposals that enjoy a majority of support from all likely voters are creating new tax incentives to spur the rapid development and deployment of clean energy across the country (66 percent support), installing 500,000 new electric vehicle chargers along roads and highways (59 percent support), and creating new tax incentives for American auto manufacturers to retool factories for electric vehicle production (59 percent support).

The key components of the American Jobs Plan also enjoy broad support across party lines. There is a clear consensus among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans around improving the resiliency of roads and bridges, replacing and removing all lead drinking water pipes, modernizing the electricity grid, and expanding broadband internet access to reach all Americans. A bipartisan majority of voters also support cleaning up abandoned oil and gas wells, investing in research and development of new energy technologies, weatherizing and retrofitting homes, buildings, and schools, and building new renewable energy projects. A majority of Democrats and Independents, as well as a plurality of Republicans, also support creating a Climate Conservation Corps and creating new tax incentives to spur the rapid deployment and development of clean energy across America.

Though two of the American Jobs Plan’s electric vehicle proposals — installing 500,000 new electric vehicle charging stations across America and creating new tax incentives for domestic auto manufacturers to retool factories for electric vehicle production — are backed by a strong majority of Democrats and Independents, Republicans express net opposition to these investments. However, given that each of these proposals enjoys 40 percent of support among Republicans, it is clear that there is room to grow bipartisan support for government actions that will incentivize a shift to electric vehicles among both American auto manufacturers and consumers.

Voters Want Lawmakers to Keep Ambitious Climate and Clean Energy Investments in the American Jobs Plan

The American Jobs Plan can create millions of new, good-paying union jobs across the country, and voters across party lines overwhelmingly support investments to create new clean energy jobs. Nearly three-quarters of all likely voters (72 percent) — including a majority of Democrats (87 percent), Independents (72 percent), and Republicans (54 percent) — all support federal investments in clean energy job creation.

Recently, Republicans introduced a significantly smaller infrastructure proposal that eliminates many of the climate and clean energy proposals included in the American Jobs Plan. However, voters strongly reject a counterproposal to the American Jobs Plan that narrowly focuses on roads and bridges. Nearly two-thirds of all likely voters (62 percent) say lawmakers should keep investments to modernize the electricity grid, research and develop new energy technologies, and increase domestic production of clean energy and electric vehicles in the American Jobs Plan. A majority of Democrats (85 percent) and Independents (61 percent), as well as 36 percent of Republicans, support keeping ambitious climate and clean energy investments in the American Jobs Plan to create millions of new, good-paying union jobs and help America transition to a thriving clean energy economy.

President Biden has proposed paying for the investments in the American Jobs Plan by raising taxes on large corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Over two-thirds of voters (67 percent) agree the government should make investments to create millions of new clean energy jobs, even if those investments are paid for by raising taxes on large corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Nearly all Democrats (90 percent) and an overwhelming majority of Independents (71 percent) agree that the benefits of clean energy job creation are worth raising taxes on large corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Notably, 40 percent of Republicans also agree that ambitious federal investments in clean energy job creation are worth raising taxes on large corporations and the wealthiest Americans — a significant level of support among voters that typically express high levels of opposition to raising federal taxes on these groups.

Conclusion

The American Jobs Plan — including the proposals that will create millions of new jobs modernizing American infrastructure, combatting the climate crisis, and kickstarting America’s transition to clean energy — enjoy broad bipartisan support. Voters across party lines overwhelmingly support federal investments to create clean energy jobs and do not want to see lawmakers exclude these critical proposals from the final legislation. Nearly two-thirds of voters — including a significant portion of Republicans — also agree that ambitious investments in clean energy job creation are worth the tradeoff of raising taxes on large corporations and the wealthy. As lawmakers in Congress debate the size and scope of the final piece of legislation, they can feel confident advocating for keeping the ambition of the American Jobs Plan intact knowing that voters strongly support these investments.

Survey Methodology

From April 16 to April 19, 2021, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,138 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±3 percentage points.