Fwd: About two-thirds of voters think global warming is affecting the cost of living

[Loretta Lohman]

View this email in your browser Dear Friends,  We are pleased to release a new report “Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Spring 2026” based on our latest national survey, conducted April 17 - 26, 2026.  Key Findings Most registered voters: Prefer to vote for candidates who support action on global warming Think global warming is affecting their cost of living Oppose policies to eliminate federal emergency response and climate research and information With the primaries in the 2026 midterm elections underway, we find that 58% of registered voters prefer to vote for a candidate for public office who supports action on global warming, while 14% prefer to vote for a candidate who opposes action. We also find that: 42% would like to hear from political candidates more often about efforts to reduce global warming, while 23% would like to hear about this less often. 31% will only vote for a congressional candidate who supports increasing the use of renewable energy, while 7% will only vote for a candidate who supports decreasing the use of renewable energy. 25% will only vote for a candidate who supports decreasing the use of fossil fuels, while 14% will only vote for a candidate who supports increasing the use of fossil fuels. Additionally, we find that… Most registered voters think global warming is causing the cost of living to increase: 67% think global warming is affecting the cost of living in the United States and 64% think it is affecting their own cost of living. Many registered voters say global warming is increasing the costs of their home utility bills (66%), groceries (61%), car/truck ownership and operation (56%), home insurance (51%), home repair and maintenance (43%), and health care (35%). Large, bipartisan majorities of registered voters oppose policies to eliminate federal emergency response and climate research and information: 91% say funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) should either be increased (49%) or kept about the same (42%). 77% oppose ordering all federal agencies (such as NASA, NOAA, and the EPA) to stop doing research on global warming. 77% oppose ordering all federal agencies to stop providing information about global warming to the public. Majorities of registered voters support state and local climate-related policies: 89% support state laws allowing residents to install small plug-in solar panels that directly generate electricity for their home. 65% support requiring electric utilities in their states to produce 100% of their electricity from clean, renewable sources by 2050. 63% support allowing states to set higher fuel efficiency standards than the federal government for new cars and trucks. 51% support their city, town, or county government declaring global warming a local emergency. 51% support their governor declaring global warming a statewide emergency. The full report includes many other important findings, including special sections on data centers and gas prices as well as support for transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy, support for various climate policies (including protecting people from disproportionate harm from environmental hazards, and building local energy infrastructure), priorities for action on global warming and clean energy by the president and Congress, and voters’ most trusted sources of information about global warming. Further Reading from Yale Climate Connections How ‘balcony solar’ could help fight rising utility costs What’s cheaper: Fueling your car with gas or electricity? How blue California and red Texas became green powerhouses For media inquiries, please contact Emily Richards and Michaela Hobbs. For partnership inquiries, please contact Mallika Talwar. As always, thanks for your interest and support of our work! On behalf of the research team: John Kotcher, Seth Rosenthal, Emily Goddard, Joshua Ettinger, Teresa Myers, Jennifer Carman, Marija Verner, Julia Fine, Emily Richards, Jennifer Marlon, Matthew Goldberg, Edward Maibach, and Anthony Leiserowitz. Cheers, Tony ----- Anthony Leiserowitz, Ph.D. JoshAni-TomKat Professor of Climate Communication Director, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication Yale School of the Environment (203) 432-4865 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyleiserowitz/ Bluesky: @yaleclimatecomm.bsky.social climatecommunication.yale.edu yaleclimateconnections.org Forward to a Friend Donate to YPCCC You are receiving this email because you expressed interest in our work and gave us your address. Our mailing address is: Yale School of the Environment 195 Prospect Street New Haven, CT 06511 USA update email address or subscription preferences | unsubscribe from this list | view email in browser