Yale Climate Opinion Survey Reveals What Ann Arbor Residents Think About Climate Change Policies

According to a survey conducted by the Yale Program in Climate Change Communication, 72% of 28,000 adults throughout the U.S. said they believe global warming is happening, In Ann Arbor, 82% of adults asked said they believe that global warming is happening. The Yale survey reveals what Ann Arbor residents think about climate change, climate change programs and policies to combat climate change.

Data from the Pew Research Center shows 66% of Americans believe the federal government is not doing enough to combat climate change. Seventy-two percent of U.S. adults acknowledge climate change to be a real issue. However, Americans disagree about what steps should be taken to address the climate crisis. Planting more trees to absorb carbon emissions is widely supported by both Democrats and Republicans. Support for taxing corporations based on their emissions output, or requiring stricter emissions standards for vehicles, on the other hand, is divided along party lines: 86-89% of Democratic-leaning respondents support emissions taxes for corporations, versus 52-55% of Republican-leaning respondents.

Attitudes toward climate change policies are split by political party affiliation, as well as demographic factors that include generational differences, gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic situation, and proximity to a coastline, where natural disasters have increased in frequency. Economic reliance on fossil fuels also plays a large role in whether people support or oppose climate change measures on both a local and federal level.

Support in Ann Arbor for funding research into renewable energy sources: 90.4%

— #1 highest among all metros

— 4.7% higher than national average

Metros where the most people support funding research into renewable energy sources

#1. Ithaca, NY: 90.4% support funding research into renewable energy sources

#2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: 90.3%

#3. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 90.1%

Metros where the fewest people support funding research into renewable energy sources

#1. Amarillo, TX: 79.0% support funding research into renewable energy sources

#2. Houma-Thibodaux, LA: 79.7%

#3. Longview, TX: 79.7%

– Support in Ann Arbor for regulating CO2 as a pollutant: 80.4%

— #2 highest among all metros

— 5.9% higher than national average

Metros where the most people support regulating CO2 as a pollutant

#1. Ithaca, NY: 82.9% support regulating CO2 as a pollutant

#2. Ann Arbor, MI: 80.4%

#3. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 80.3%

Metros where the fewest people support regulating CO2 as a pollutant

#1. Provo-Orem, UT: 65.0% support regulating CO2 as a pollutant

#2. Amarillo, TX: 65.2%

#3. Midland, TX: 65.3%

– Support in Ann Arbor for setting strict limits on existing coal-fire power plants: 78.5%

— #2 highest among all metros

— 10.8% higher than national average

Metros where the most people support setting strict limits on existing coal-fire power plants

#1. Urban Honolulu, HI: 81.1% support setting strict limits on existing coal-fire power plants

#2. Ann Arbor, MI: 78.5%

#3. Ithaca, NY: 78.2%

Metros where the fewest people support setting strict limits on existing coal-fire power plants

#1. Farmington, NM: 46.3% support setting strict limits on existing coal-fire power plants

#2. Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH: 49.2%

#3. Longview, TX: 51.4%

– Support in Ann Arbor for requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a carbon tax and use the money to reduce other taxes (such as income tax) by an equal amount: 72.7%

— #21 highest among all metros

— 4.8% higher than national average

Metros where the most people support requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a carbon tax and use the money to reduce other taxes (such as income tax) by an equal amount

#1. Ithaca, NY: 77.1% support requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a carbon tax and use the money to reduce other taxes (such as income tax) by an equal amount

#2. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA: 76.9%

#3. Urban Honolulu, HI: 76.7%

Metros where the fewest people support requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a carbon tax and use the money to reduce other taxes (such as income tax) by an equal amount

#1. Provo-Orem, UT: 53.1% support requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a carbon tax and use the money to reduce other taxes (such as income tax) by an equal amount

#2. Casper, WY: 53.9%

#3. St. George, UT: 54.2%

– Support in Ann Arbor for requiring utilities to produce 20% electricity from renewable sources: 72.2%

— #2 highest among all metros

— 7.2% higher than national average

Metros where the most people support requiring utilities to produce 20% electricity from renewable sources

#1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: 72.8% support requiring utilities to produce 20% electricity from renewable sources

#2. Ann Arbor, MI: 72.2%

#3. Urban Honolulu, HI: 72.2%

Metros where the fewest people support requiring utilities to produce 20% electricity from renewable sources

#1. Provo-Orem, UT: 52.2% support requiring utilities to produce 20% electricity from renewable sources

#2. Decatur, AL: 54.7%

#3. Johnson City, TN: 55.5%

– Support in Ann Arbor for providing tax rebates for people who purchase energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels: 86.0%

— #3 highest among all metros

— 3.9% higher than national average

Metros where the most people support providing tax rebates for people who purchase energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels

#1. Ithaca, NY: 86.6% support providing tax rebates for people who purchase energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels

#2. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 86.1%

#3. Ann Arbor, MI: 86.0%

Metros where the fewest people support providing tax rebates for people who purchase energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels

#1. Amarillo, TX: 75.2% support providing tax rebates for people who purchase energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels

#2. Houma-Thibodaux, LA: 75.3%

#3. Texarkana, TX-AR: 76.0%

– Support in Ann Arbor for drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: 21.9%

— #344 highest among all metros

— 9.7% lower than national average

Metros where the most people support drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

#1. Dalton, GA: 43.7% support drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

#2. Lima, OH: 41.6%

#3. Enid, OK: 41.4%

Metros where the fewest people support drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

#1. Ann Arbor, MI: 21.9% support drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

#2. Ithaca, NY: 22.5%

#3. Corvallis, OR: 23.1%

– Support in Ann Arbor support for expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast: 38.1%

— #340 highest among all metros

— 14.1% lower than national average

Metros where the most people support expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast

#1. Lake Charles, LA: 69.4% support expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast

#2. Alexandria, LA: 68.9%

#3. Decatur, AL: 67.7%

Metros where the fewest people support expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast

#1. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: 34.6% support expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast

#2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: 36.6%

#3. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA: 37.0%