52% Not Willing To Pay More For Clean Energy
Friday, June 18, 2010 Email to a Friend ShareThis.Advertisement
Many Americans like the idea of developing clean, environmentally friendly sources of energy, but most aren’t willing to pay for it.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 46% of Adults think that developing clean energy sources is more important than keeping the cost of energy as low as possible. But another 46% disagree and say keeping energy costs down is more important.
A year ago, by a 52% to 41% margin, Americans rated keeping the cost of energy as low as possible as the more important goal.
Still, when asked how much more they are willing to pay in taxes and utility costs each year to generate cleaner energy and fight global warming, 52% say nothing. This is down four points from last August.
Citing a new EPA study to back his proposed anti-global warming legislation, Senator Joe Lieberman estimated earlier this week that the cost to the average American household will be less than $1 a day. "Is the American household willing to pay less than $1 so we don't have to buy oil from foreign countries, so we can create millions of new jobs, so we can clean up our environment?,” he asked. “I think the answer is going to be yes."
But only 20% are willing to pay $100 more a year in taxes and utility costs for cleaner energy and to fight global warming. Twenty-four percent (24%) think $300 or more a year is an acceptable additional amount to pay.
Twenty-one percent (21%) of all adults think taking steps to stop global warming is more important than creating jobs. Seventy-one percent (71%) put more emphasis on creating jobs. From Lieberman’s remarks, it’s clear that he sees his legislation as doing both, although critics argue that the bill will actually throw many people out of jobs, particularly in the traditional energy industries.
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The survey of 1,000 American adults was conducted on June 16-17, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
President Obama in his White House address to the nation Tuesday night about the Gulf oil leak outlined aggressive steps toward the development of clean energy alternatives to fossil fuels. Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters agree that finding new sources of energy is more important than reducing the amount of energy Americans now consume. But it’s important to note that the question does not specify whether these new sources of energy come from expanded oil drilling or the development of clean energy alternatives.
Sixty percent (60%) think offshore oil drilling should be allowed despite the situation in the Gulf. Seventy-six percent (76%) think offshore drilling is at least somewhat important in meeting the energy needs of the United States, including 47% who say it is Very Important.
Fifty-seven percent (57%) of men are not willing to pay any more in taxes or utility costs to generate clear energy and fight global warming, compared to 48% of women.
Fifty-seven percent (57%) of Republicans and adults not affiliated with either major party also are unwilling to pay more, while just over 20% of both groups would be willing to pay $100 more per year.
Democrats are less reluctant, with 34% willing to pay $300 or more per year for cleaner energy and to fight global warming.
But then 58% of Democrats say developing clean, environmentally friendly energy sources is more important than keeping the cost of energy as low as possible. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Republicans disagree and say keeping energy costs down is the priority. Unaffiliated adults are more closely divided.
Republicans and unaffiliateds also put more emphasis than Democrats on creating jobs over taking steps to stop global warming.
Forty percent (40%) of voters now say global warming is caused primarily by human activity, while slightly more (44%) say long term planetary trends are to blame. Fifty-eight percent (58%) feel global warming is a serious problem, but 37% disagree.
Forty-eight percent (48%) of Americans say they are likely to buy an alternative-energy car in the next 10 years. |
