Support for solar energy and offshore wind falls among Democrats and independents, AP-NORC poll says

Wind turbines stretch across the horizon at dusk at the Spearville Wind Farm, Sept. 29, 2024, near Spearville, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

Americans’ support for green energy tax credits and renewable energies like wind and solar power has decreased in recent years, according to a new poll, driven by a softening in support from Democrats and independents.

The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that U.S. adults’ support for tax credits for electric vehicles and solar panels has weakened, as well as their enthusiasm for offshore wind farm expansion. While Democrats remain the strongest supporters of these initiatives, the poll reveals signs of growing cynicism within their ranks.

The poll results coincide with sweeping changes President Donald Trump’s Republican administration is making to regulations related to energy and climate change, including slashing the federal workforce in these departments. And although Democrats and independents have weakened their support for some green energy initiatives, there has not been an increase in support for Trump’s energy policies.

The poll found only about four in 10 U.S. adults, including only one in 10 Democrats, about two in 10 independents and three-quarters of Republicans, approve of the way Trump is handling climate change, which largely tracks with his overall approval rating.

Democrats and independents drive decline in support for renewable energy credits

About six in 10 Democrats, 58 per cent, favour tax credits for purchasing an electric vehicle, down from about seven in 10 in 2022. Among independents, support declined from 49 per cent in 2022 to 28 per cent. Only one-quarter of Republicans supported this policy in 2022, and that hasn’t changed measurably.

“As far as the pollution goes ... the vehicles nowadays put out very little emissions to the air,” said JD Johnson, a 62-year-old Democrat from Meadowview, Virginia, who somewhat opposes tax credits to purchase an electric vehicle. That’s partly because he sees the electric vehicle manufacturing process as energy intensive and believes gasoline-powered vehicles have made improvements with the pollutants they emit.

The decline in favoring solar panel tax credits was across the board rather than being concentrated among Democrats.

“For solar panels, in all honesty, I don’t think they’re that efficient yet,” said Glenn Savage, 78, a left-leaning independent from Rock Hill, South Carolina. “I’d rather see them pour money into research and try to get the solar panels more efficient before they start giving tax breaks to the public. I may be wrong on that, but that’s just my thought.”

Scientists say transitioning to renewable energies and ditching fossil fuels that release planet-warming emissions are essential to protect the planet. Billions of dollars in project grants for clean technologies awarded during President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration have been canceled by the Trump administration, and the offshore wind sector has been stunted by Trump’s executive order that paused approvals, permits and loans for wind energy projects.

Fewer than half of U.S. adults, 44 per cent, now say that offshore wind farms should be expanded in the U.S., down from 59 per cent in 2022. About half favor expanding solar panel farms, while about two-thirds were in support in 2022.

When people are concerned about the economy and their personal finances, environmental issues are sometimes prioritized less, said Talbot Andrews, an assistant professor in the department of government at Cornell University who was not involved in the poll.

“I think it makes people anxious to think about increased taxes or increased spending on environmental issues when the cost of eggs are going through the roof,” Andrews said.

Low support for Trump’s efforts to expand offshore drilling and coal mining

Trump has championed the expansion of offshore oil drilling, as well as domestic coal production.

Despite a decline in support for expanded renewable energies, the new poll shows that only about one-third of U.S. adults think offshore drilling for oil and natural gas should be expanded in the U.S., and only about one-quarter say this about coal mining.

In both cases, Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to support expanding these energy sources.

Trump has sought to open up national monuments for oil drilling, but more U.S. adults oppose than support auctioning off more public space for oil drilling. Only about one-quarter of U.S. adults favor this, while 4 in 10 are opposed. Republicans are much more likely than independents or Democrats to be in support.

Bipartisan support for consumer rebates and home appliance ratings

The Energy Star program that certifies appliances, such as dishwashers and refrigerators, as energy efficient recently appeared in headlines when the EPA made plans to scrap the program. The blue and white logo is well recognized, and experts say the program has long had bipartisan support until recently.

The poll found three-quarters of Democrats support providing consumer rebates for efficient home appliances, compared with six in 10 Republicans.

Patrick Buck, 54, from Chicago, describes himself as a liberal Republican and is a fan of the consumer rebates for energy-efficient appliances. “It seems to work in terms of transforming what people have in their houses, because a lot of people have a lot of old appliances and just can’t afford new ones,” he said.

Safe air, water, meat and produce

The poll found only about two in 10 U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” confident in the federal government’s ability to ensure the safety of their drinking water, the air they breathe and the meat, poultry, fruits and vegetables they buy in grocery stores.

About four in 10 U.S. adults are “somewhat” confident in the federal government’s ability to ensure the safety of each of these, and about 4 in 10 are “not very” or “not at all” confident.

The Trump administration has announced plans to roll back rules and policies related to limiting pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, such as rules that limit pollution from power plants and blocking California’s efforts to phase out cars that run on gas. The federal government has also cut staff at the Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency tasked with protecting public health and ensuring food supply safety.

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The AP-NORC poll of 1,158 adults was conducted June 5-9, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Isabella O’malley And Amelia Thomson-deveaux, The Associated Press