Tracking Energy and Climate Trends

Key Takeaways

• Climate Concern Falls Among Voters: Less than 2 in 5 voters -- and a similar share of all adults -- say they are “very concerned” about climate change and its impacts, falling by 5 percentage points in May to 35% this month. Among political parties, Democrats had the largest decrease in concern of 7 points to 56%, while concern among independents fell by 5 points to 28%. Within the race and ethnicity demographic, concern among Black adults dropped by 11 points to 36%.

• 3 in 10 Adults “Very Concerned” About Disasters: Concern about the impact of natural disasters in local communities fell slightly among U.S. adults, dropping 6 points to 30%, falling to similar levels of concern among all voters. Concern among parties fell the most among Democrats, decreasing by 11 points to 42%.

• Confidence in U.S. Climate Action Falls Among Voters: Fewer than half of voters (45%) are confident that the United States will reduce its carbon emissions and slow the impacts of climate change in the next decade, a decrease of 8 points from the previous month. Confidence also fell among all political parties, as Democrats and Republicans saw similar decreases of 8 points to fall to 55% and 38%, respectively.

• Interest in Gasoline-powered Vehicles Falls: Consumer interest in gasoline-powered vehicles over the next decade fell by 5 points to 62%. Interest in purchasing an electric vehicle and a hybrid fell slightly by 3 points, to 45% and 52%, respectively.

• Half of Adults “Very Concerned” About Future Electricity Prices: The latest data shows that half of U.S. adults are “very concerned” about future electricity prices, increasing slightly by 2 points in May. Roughly 2 in 5 adults are “very concerned” about current prices.