Public Support for Climate and Energy Policies in September 2012

The report finds broad American support for developing clean energy and reducing global warming, though support for specific policies like CO2 regulation and renewable energy research has declined since 2008. While there is bipartisan agreement on increasing renewable energy use, significant partisan divides exist regarding the reduction of fossil fuels and the priority level of global warming. Americans perceive large campaign contributors and fossil-fuel companies as having the most influence over elected officials' decisions on climate issues.

• A vast majority of Americans believe the president and Congress should prioritize clean energy and global warming, with 92% viewing clean energy development as a medium to very high priority and 77% viewing global warming similarly.
• Most Americans support U.S. efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and global warming regardless of other countries' actions or the associated economic costs, with 88% supporting such efforts despite economic costs.
• Public support for several key climate and energy policies has decreased since 2008, including funding for renewable energy research (down 19 points), expanding offshore drilling (down 17 points), regulating CO2 as a pollutant (down 14 points), and tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels (down 12 points).
• There is strong bipartisan agreement on increasing the use of renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and geothermal, with support from 83% of Democrats, 85% of Independents, and 71% of Republicans.
• Significant partisan disagreement exists regarding the reduction of fossil fuel use: 61% of Democrats and Independents believe the U.S. should use less fossil fuel in the future, compared to only 38% of Republicans.
• Americans are more likely to support a candidate who favors a revenue-neutral carbon tax if it is linked to creating jobs in renewable energy (61%), decreasing pollution (58%), or paying down the national debt (52%).
• The public perceives large campaign contributors (50%) and fossil-fuel companies (42%) as having a high level of influence over elected officials' decisions regarding global warming, far exceeding the perceived influence of climate scientists (20%) or environmentalists (22%).
• Public awareness and opinion on fracking are low; 53% of Americans have never heard of it or do not know what it is, and among those provided a definition, a majority (58%) remain undecided or do not know if they support it.

APA

Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., Feinberg, G., & Howe, P. (2012). Public Support for Climate and Energy Policies in September 2012. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/September-2012-Public-Support-for-Climate-and-Energy-Policies.pdf

Chicago

Leiserowitz, Anthony, Edward Maibach, Connie Roser-Renouf, Geoff Feinberg, and Peter Howe. Public Support for Climate and Energy Policies in September 2012. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2012. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/September-2012-Public-Support-for-Climate-and-Energy-Policies.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Leiserowitz |first1=Anthony |last2=Maibach |first2=Edward |last3=Roser-Renouf |first3=Connie |last4=Feinberg |first4=Geoff |last5=Howe |first5=Peter |title=Public Support for Climate and Energy Policies in September 2012 |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=2012 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/September-2012-Public-Support-for-Climate-and-Energy-Policies.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{leiserowitz2012public, author = {Leiserowitz, Anthony and Maibach, Edward and Roser-Renouf, Connie and Feinberg, Geoff and Howe, Peter}, title = {{Public Support for Climate and Energy Policies in September 2012}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2012}, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/September-2012-Public-Support-for-Climate-and-Energy-Policies.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }