In 2023, Pew Research Center released a report on US attitudes toward climate change and found that age, among other things, will likely drive environmental action and awareness forward. Here are some takeaways from their research.
According to Pew, about two-thirds (67%) of US adults want the country to “prioritize developing renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar,” over fossil fuels, 2% down from last year.
Of US adults ages 18 to 29, 48% want the US to use renewables exclusively. However, 52% prefer the US to use a “mix of energy sources, including fossil fuels,” a view shared by a majority of all other age groups.
Only 7% of US adults want the federal government to discourage the domestic production of renewable power, while 26% think it should stay neutral, neither encouraging nor discouraging it, which are decreases from 8% and 28%, respectively, from last year.
Most US adults (58%) say state elected officials are not doing enough to address climate change. A similar majority (55%) say the same of the energy industry.
Among US adults, 54% describe climate change as a “major threat to the country’s well-being,” down 4% from 2020.
Only 37% of Americans say addressing climate change “should be a top priority for the president and Congress in 2023,” while 34% say it is important, but a lower priority. As a result, climate change ranks “17th out of 21 national issues included in a Center survey” from January 2023.
Among US adults, 61% say global climate change “is affecting their local community either a great deal or some,” while 39% see “little or no impact in their own community.”
While 74% say they support US participation in international efforts to reduce the effects of climate change, only 36% say the US is doing more than other large economies to mitigate the international impacts of climate change, up from 67% and 32%, respectively, from last year.
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