NEW POLLING SHOWS OVERWHELMING VOTER SUPPORT FOR SIGNIFICANT CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENTS AND BOLD CLIMATE ACTION

Washington, D.C. – New polling from Data for Progress released today shows that voters, including those in battleground states, overwhelmingly support significant federal investments in clean energy infrastructure and bold climate action.

The new polling includes two surveys — a Data For Progress national poll of likely voters on Vice President Joe Biden’s climate action plan and a Data For Progress/YouGov battleground poll of independent voters on climate change policies — show that pro-science candidates can both run on and win on a bold climate action and clean energy jobs agenda.

“Data for Progress polling demonstrates that boldly addressing the climate crisis is a winning issue for candidates in 2020. Voters are eager to support candidates that pledge to transform our country into a clean energy economy that will thrive for generations to come,” said Data for Progress Climate Data Analyst Danielle Deiseroth.

“Time and again, Data for Progress polling has shown that a broad-base of voters are enthusiastically supportive of an ambitious climate agenda that creates jobs and addresses the climate crisis on the scale that science demands,” said Data for Progress Deputy Climate Director Marcela Mulholland. “Biden’s plan is exactly the kind of job-creating, justice-centering policy that voters, specifically young voters and persuadable voters, are excited about. We need a more just society powered by clean energy to rebuild from the coronavirus pandemic and avert climate chaos. Luckily, that’s what voters want too.”

The findings could be potentially significant for Biden who is working to attract younger voters and independents ahead of the 2020 election. The Data for Progress polling shows that going bold on climate action could be a boon for Democratic candidates with those voting groups.

Biden is set today to announce a clean energy platform that would eliminate carbon pollution by 2035 from power plants and details a 15-year timeline for a 100 percent clean electricity standard.

Polling Highlights

Achieving a 100% clean energy economy by 2035 is a winning issue, especially among young voters: 56 percent of voters are more likely to support a Presidential candidate that pledges to achieve 100-percent clean energy by 2035, with 37 percent of voters under 45 indicating they are “much more likely to support” a candidate that makes this pledge.

Voters support green infrastructure projects as a component of federal coronavirus relief plans: 68 percent of voters support putting Americans back to work to transform American infrastructure to run on clean energy and be more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

Job creation through clean energy infrastructure projects is popular among voters: 56 percent of voters are more likely to support a Presidential candidate that pledges to create millions of new union jobs with guaranteed health and labor standards to build clean energy infrastructure.

Voters support federal infrastructure investments in communities that need it the most: 62 percent of voters support an ‘equity screen’ on all new federal investment projects, such as housing, transportation, and clean energy, to ensure that funds are directed to areas most in need and address historic gaps in infrastructure funding.

The Data for Progress/YouGov battleground survey of independent voters in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin ran July 8-10, 2020. The Data For Progress national survey of likely voters ran July 10-12, 2020, and the crosstabs are available here.