PR2106 WA State Poll Toplines

A March 2021 poll of 640 registered voters in Washington State shows high levels of concern regarding climate change and strong support for holding oil and gas companies financially responsible for climate impacts. A majority of respondents (73%) believe oil and gas companies are not paying their fair share of climate costs, and 61% support suing these companies for damages. After receiving additional information about industry disinformation, the proportion of respondents who believe oil and gas companies should be most responsible for upgrading state infrastructure rose to 37%.

• A significant majority of registered voters in Washington State express concern about climate change, with 75% reporting they are either 'very worried' or 'somewhat worried'. Additionally, 50% believe climate change will harm future generations 'a great deal'.
• Respondents generally believe that various entities should increase their efforts to address climate change. The federal government (68%), corporations (73%), and the Washington state government (66%) are all viewed by a majority as needing to do more.
• There is strong public sentiment that oil and gas companies bear responsibility for climate change and its impacts. 74% of respondents hold these companies 'very' or 'somewhat' responsible, and 73% explicitly state that they are 'NOT currently paying their fair share' of costs related to climate impacts in the United States.
• A majority of polled voters support legal action against the fossil fuel industry, with 61% supporting suing oil and gas companies to hold them accountable for pollution and damages. Furthermore, 60% approve of the Washington Attorney General suing oil companies for misleading the public about climate impacts.
• Providing respondents with information about oil and gas industry disinformation and the costs of climate adaptation shifted views on financial responsibility. Initially, 18% thought oil and gas companies should be most responsible for upgrading Washington's infrastructure; after learning more, this figure increased to 37%.
• Respondents found arguments for holding oil and gas companies accountable to be generally convincing, particularly the claim that executives led a 'multi-billion dollar disinformation campaign' (68% very or somewhat convincing) and that taxpayers should not be left to pay for adaptation costs (70% very or somewhat convincing).

APA

Center for Climate Integrity (2021). PR2106 WA State Poll Toplines. https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/June2021-WA-Poll-Toplines.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Integrity. PR2106 WA State Poll Toplines. 2021. https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/June2021-WA-Poll-Toplines.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Integrity |title=PR2106 WA State Poll Toplines |date=March 2021 |url=https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/June2021-WA-Poll-Toplines.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimateintegrity2021pr2106, author = {{Center for Climate Integrity}}, title = {{PR2106 WA State Poll Toplines}}, institution = {Center for Climate Integrity}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/June2021-WA-Poll-Toplines.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }