Regardless of President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promises to unravel President Barack Obama’s climate legacy, 55 percent of Trump voters support upholding current climate change policy and 30 percent support further action on climate, according to survey results Tuesday from the Glover Park Group and Morning Consult.
“Contrary to campaign rhetoric and the Republican platform – the ‘Trump voter’ is not monolithic. The poll confirms that Americans of all political persuasions value clean air and safe drinking water, support renewable energy and want regulations that help fight climate change and protect our environment,” Catharine Ransom, managing director at the Glover Park Group, said in a prepared statement.
The survey was conducted online from Dec. 11-13 and drew 2,000 responses from self-identified Trump voters nationwide.
The poll also found that 61 percent of Trump voters believe the federal government should require U.S. companies to reduce carbon emissions. Trump has pledged to roll back the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, carbon emissions standards for existing coal-fired power plants. “Of the promises Trump made during his campaign, reducing environmental regulations is only the top priority for 7% of Trump voters,” according to the poll results.
Trump voters also support government funding of renewable energy: 73 percent of respondents said “we should maintain or increase spending on renewable energy.”
Other interesting results include: 64 percent of respondents think the budget for “environmental protection and preservation” should be maintained or increased; 31 percent of Trump voters want more federal regulations on air pollution; and 47 percent want federal regulation of air pollution to stay the same.
