Public support for climate & energy policies in November 2011

The report details public opinion in the United States during November 2011, showing broad support for clean energy development and environmental protection. While a majority of Americans view global warming as a priority for federal leadership and support renewable energy research, there is divided support for nuclear power and a majority preference for expanding offshore drilling.

• A significant majority of Americans view the development of clean energy and the addressing of global warming as priorities for the president and Congress, with 91% prioritizing clean energy and 71% prioritizing global warming.
• Most Americans believe that environmental protection is either beneficial or neutral to economic growth and job creation, with 82% holding this view, while only 18% believe it reduces growth and costs jobs.
• There is strong public support for renewable energy research (84%) and a renewable energy mandate for electric utilities (68%), even if the latter increases average household costs by $100 annually.
• Public opinion on fossil fuels and nuclear energy is mixed: 66% support expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas, while support for building more nuclear power plants is at 47%, dropping to 33% when the plant is located in the respondent's own local area.
• Majorities of the surveyed population support various local sustainability policies, including increased public transportation (80%), bike lanes (77%), and energy-efficient requirements for new homes (71%).

APA

A., L., E., M., C., R.-R., N., S., & J.D., H. (2011). Public support for climate & energy policies in November 2011. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/americans-public-support-for-climate-and-energy-policies-november-2011/

Chicago

A., Leiserowitz,, Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., Smith, N., and Hmielowski, J.D. Public support for climate & energy policies in November 2011. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2011. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/americans-public-support-for-climate-and-energy-policies-november-2011/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=A. |first1=Leiserowitz, |last2=E. |first2=Maibach, |last3=C. |first3=Roser-Renouf, |last4=N. |first4=Smith, |last5=J.D. |first5=Hmielowski, |title=Public support for climate & energy policies in November 2011 |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=4 November 2011 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/americans-public-support-for-climate-and-energy-policies-november-2011/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{a2011public, author = {A., Leiserowitz, and E., Maibach, and C., Roser-Renouf, and N., Smith, and J.D., Hmielowski,}, title = {{Public support for climate \& energy policies in November 2011}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2011}, month = nov, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/americans-public-support-for-climate-and-energy-policies-november-2011/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }