With all the attention being paid to the Biden Administration and Democrats Build Back Better bill’s climate change provisions that would increase the cost of energy from fossil fuels, The American Majority Project decided to see just how popular they were when compared to other solutions proposed by some Republicans in Congress to climate change that embraced lower emission fossil fuels and nuclear power. Given that polling has shown that young voters are the most concerned about climate change, we spoke to 13 Gen Z voters (ages 18-24) who did not have a strong preference for either party. Here is what we found.
- The overwhelming consensus among participants was that climate change is a serious problem that must be dealt with deliberately and without delay.
- However, participants were aware of the need for practical solutions. They understood that climate change policies that lead to job losses and higher prices were not desirable or politically feasible.
- Given a choice between a Build Back Better type plan that would increase the cost of fossil fuels as a way to move America toward wind and solar, and one more like those proposed by some Republicans in Congress that would use nuclear power and lower emission forms of fossil fuels, participants overwhelmingly preferred the Republican plan because it seemed more practical, would not lead to higher prices or job losses in fossil fuels, incorporated nuclear, and considered how to get other countries to reduce their emissions (selling liquified natural gas).
- However, participants did say they wanted to see data that supported the methods laid out in each plan.
- The results of these two groups suggest that the climate change issue is an opportunity to: 1. Attract young voters on an issue they care about 2. Expose the big government socialist agenda as being about power rather than a good faith effort to solve the issue due to the left’s opposition to nuclear and natural gas. However, doing so will require an acknowledgement of climate change as an urgent problem and a willingness to put forward a solution.