Perspectives from Environmental Justice Communities: A National Survey

The survey reveals high levels of concern regarding air and water quality, particularly among Hispanic and Black communities. While there is strong support for the clean energy transition and interest in related careers, significant barriers exist, including lack of education, financial insecurity, and low awareness of job opportunities. Trust in government is low, while trust in scientists and family is high.

• A significant portion of respondents are concerned about environmental pollution, with 62.7% agreeing they are concerned about health effects and 46.6% stating that pollutants have already affected their or their neighbors' health.
• Perceptions of environmental and health impacts are notably higher among Hispanic or Latino and Black or African American communities compared to the overall average.
• Awareness of clean energy technologies varies by maturity; while solar (72%), wind (61.4%), and electric vehicles (57.5%) are well-known, nascent technologies like carbon capture (12.9%) and green hydrogen (11.5%) have very low awareness.
• Respondents generally view the clean energy transition positively, with 66.6% believing it could provide well-paying jobs and 65.4% approving of new clean energy infrastructure in their communities.
• Despite positive perceptions, 35.4% of respondents fear that the transition to clean energy will lead to job losses in their communities, a concern that is 10 percentage points higher among Hispanic or Latino respondents than the average.
• There is a gap between interest in clean energy careers and actual pursuit; 66% express interest, but 62.7% have never considered working in the industry and 17.3% have considered it without searching for jobs.
• The primary barriers to entering the clean energy workforce are a lack of education or training (61.7%) and a lack of knowledge on where to find job listings (56.3%).
• Civic engagement is perceived as important, but actual participation is low; about half of respondents have never participated in civic activities beyond expressing opinions on the internet.
• Trust in information sources is highest for scientists, family/friends, and environmental organizations, while the government and local politicians are the least trusted sources, with under 40% expressing trust.
• Electricity costs are viewed as too high by 76.4% of respondents, yet only 13% are aware of programs or rebates to reduce these costs.
• Major obstacles to general career advancement include insufficient financial resources (63.7%), lack of relevant experience (59.9%), and lack of required academic degrees or certifications (57.9%).

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2023). Perspectives from Environmental Justice Communities: A National Survey. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/11093912/perspectives-environmental-justice-communities-national-survey.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Perspectives from Environmental Justice Communities: A National Survey. 2023. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/11093912/perspectives-environmental-justice-communities-national-survey.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Perspectives from Environmental Justice Communities: A National Survey |date=July 2023 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/11093912/perspectives-environmental-justice-communities-national-survey.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforce2023perspectives, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Perspectives from Environmental Justice Communities: A National Survey}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/11093912/perspectives-environmental-justice-communities-national-survey.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }