Most Americans want more renewable energy, but support is declining. Interest in electric vehicles has also declined
Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand Americans’ views on energy issues. For this analysis, we surveyed 8,638 U.S. adults from May 13 to May 19, 2024.
All survey participants are members of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel recruited through national random sampling of residential addresses. This way, almost every American adult has a chance of being selected. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Learn more about the ATP methodology.
Here are the questions used for this report, along with their answers and methodology.
The planet’s continuing run of record heat has prompted calls for action from scientists and world leaders. Meanwhile, in the United States, energy development policy is hotly debated at the national and local levels in this election year. What do Americans think about U.S. energy policy options and what steps are they willing to take in their own lives to reduce carbon emissions? A new survey from the Pew Research Center takes a look.
Among the main conclusions:
There is a decline in support for wind and solar energy. Support for solar and wind expansion is down 12 percentage points and 11 points, respectively, since 2020, driven by sharp declines in support among Republicans.
Interest in purchasing an electric vehicle (EV) is lower than a year ago. Today, 29% of Americans say they would consider an electric vehicle for their next purchase, up from 38% in 2023.
However, a majority of Americans (63%) support the United States’ goal of taking steps to become carbon neutral by 2050. When asked what the highest priority is, far more Americans think the country should focus on developing renewable energy rather than fossil fuel sources (65% versus 34%).
The survey, conducted May 13-19 among 8,638 American adults, reveals A relatively modest proportion of American adults (25%) say it is extremely or very important to them personally to limit their own “carbon footprint.” Many more give this issue medium or low priority.
These findings illustrate how much support a large portion of Americans have for more renewable energy that would reduce overall carbon emissions. However, this general orientation does not necessarily translate into a strong commitment to reducing personal carbon emissions or an interest in purchasing an electric vehicle.
Go to learn more about: Trends in Opinions on Energy Development in the United States | Opinions on Wind and Solar Development at the Local Level | Perceptions of Solar Energy in People’s Daily Lives
What’s behind the decline in support for wind and solar?
The decline in public support for renewable energy has been driven by Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, whose support began to fall sharply after President Joe Biden took office in early 2020.
- 64% of Republicans say they favor more solar panel farms, up from 84% in 2020.
- 56% of Republicans support more wind farms, down 19 points from 2020.
Over the same period, Democrats and their supporters’ views on these measures have changed little, with large majorities continuing to support increased development of wind and solar energy.
In some cases, the gaps between Republicans and Democrats on energy policy are now approaching the very deep partisan divisions observed on the importance of climate change.
In May 2020, Democrats were 26 points more likely than Republicans to say the country’s top priority should be developing renewable energy (91% vs. 65%). Four years later, that gap has widened to 49 points, almost entirely due to a shift in opinion among Republicans: 61% now say developing fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas should be the top priority.
Jump to more details on partisan differences given the energy development of the United States.
But changes in attitudes toward policies that could reduce carbon emissions aren’t just the result of more negative views among Republicans. For example, the share of Democrats who say they are very or somewhat likely to consider an electric vehicle for their next car purchase has fallen from 56% to 45% over the past year. And the share of Democrats who call climate change a very big problem for the United States fell from 71% in 2021 to 58% today.
Viewpoints within each party
Among Republicans, age matters. Younger Republicans express significantly more support for renewable energy than older Republicans. For example, 67% of Republicans aged 18 to 29 say the country should prioritize the development of wind, solar and hydrogen energy. The oldest Republicans (65 and over) take power. opposite Viewpoint: 76% prioritize the development of oil, coal and natural gas.
Generally, Democrats are more united in their views on energy. Democrats across all age groups broadly support measures that would reduce carbon emissions and prioritize renewable sources. But there are differences over how much to move away from fossil fuels: 45% of Democrats say the country should phase out the use of oil, coal and natural gas, compared with 53% who say fossil fuels should remain part of the mix, along with renewable sources.
The differences within the two major parties are explored in more detail here.
Opinions on the rise of electric vehicles in the United States
Amid major federal policy toward electric vehicles, Americans aren’t enthusiastic about moves to phase out gas-powered vehicles.
In March of this year, the Biden administration announced a rule aimed at significantly increasing sales of electric vehicles. Overall, 58% of Americans say they oppose these rules, which would allow electric vehicles to account for at least half of all new cars and trucks sold in the United States by 2032. Republicans overwhelmingly oppose this policy (83%). Among Democrats, 64% support these rules aimed at increasing sales of electric vehicles, while 35% say they are against.
The Americans bought A record number of electric vehicles last year, but the growth rate is slowing and interest in electric vehicles has waned. In the current survey, 29% of Americans say they are very or somewhat likely to consider an electric vehicle the next time they buy a car. Last year, 38% expressed that level of interest in purchasing an electric vehicle.
Related: About 3 in 10 Americans would seriously consider buying an electric vehicle and the distribution of electric vehicle charging stations in the United States
Discussions about reducing carbon emissions often include everyday steps people can take to reduce the amount of energy they use. One in four Americans say it is extremely or very important to them personally to limit their own “carbon footprint.” A larger share of Americans say it is somewhat (42%) or not very or not at all important to them (32%).
Even among Democrats – who express broad support for renewable energy – only 39% say reducing their own carbon footprint is extremely or very important to them personally.
These findings are consistent with a previous Center survey showing that a modest share of Americans (23%) expect to make major sacrifices in their own lives because of climate change.
Simply put, the share of Americans who place the highest priority on limiting their own carbon emissions or who expect to make major lifestyle changes because of climate change remains relatively small.
Those who place a high priority on reducing their own carbon footprint – or who expect major direct impacts from climate change – are much more likely than other Americans to support strong measures to reduce carbon emissions.
For example, 70% of those who place high importance on reducing their own carbon footprint support rules to significantly increase electric vehicle sales in the United States by 2032. Much smaller shares of those who believe that reducing their carbon footprint is somewhat (43%), not too much or not at all (14%) important support this policy.