Nearly 70 percent of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, want the United States to take "aggressive" action to combat climate change — but only a third would support an extra tax of $100 a year to help, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday.
The results underscore a crucial challenge for Democrats seeking to unseat President Donald Trump in next year's election. Many will have to balance their calls for strict environmental regulation with a convincing argument for why the changes are good for taxpayers and the economy.
"There isn't any doubt climate change has emerged as an important issue in this election," said G. Terry Madonna, Director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College. "But when it comes to how you will pay for it, that's what can make a big difference. . . ."
Americans generally support Democratic calls for urgent action on climate change, according to the poll of more than 3,000 people conducted between June 11 and 14. A majority believe the United States should transition to 100% clean energy within a decade, and that clean energy would on balance "create new jobs and growth" instead of "hurt jobs and the economy."
But the plans quickly lose support when voters sense they come with a personal price tag, such paying extra taxes, higher power bills, or trading in their current vehicle for an electrical one, the poll showed. . . .
According to the poll, 69% of Americans — including 56% of Republicans and 71% of independents — believe the United States needs to take "aggressive" action to fight climate change.
Some 78% believe the government should invest more money to develop clean energy sources such as solar, wind and geothermal, including 69% of Republicans and 79% of independents.
About 65% of Americans identify themselves as Republican or Democrat, while 23% consider themselves independent, according to the poll.
More than half of Americans either strongly or somewhat support the idea of weaning the United States off fossil fuels entirely within 10 years — the central tenet of the Green New Deal — including a third of Republicans and 57% of independents.
Most Americans believe such a transition to clean energy could be good for the economy, according to the poll. Some 58% think it would generate jobs and growth, while just 14% who believe that fighting climate change would kill jobs and hurt the economy.
Among those who believe that clean energy can be good for jobs and the economy are 43% of Republicans and 62% of independents, the poll showed.
Support for such changes dropped off dramatically, however, when poll respondents where asked whether they would be willing to assume certain costs to achieve them.
Only 34% said they would be very likely or somewhat likely to pay an extra $100 a year in taxes to help, including 25% of Republicans and 33% of independents, according to the poll. The results were similar for higher power bills.
Only 38% said they would be likely to help by carpooling or using public transport, and 33% said they'd be willing to trade their car in for an electric vehicle, while 42% said they would be likely to install solar panels, according to the poll.
Currently, about 1 percent of cars sold in the United States in 2017 were electric, according to EVAdoption.com, which tracks the industry. Meanwhile, about 2 percent of U.S. homes had solar installations at the start of 2019, according to the Solar Energy Industry Association. . . .