Survey reveals 70% of Americans favour the environment over economic growth

A survey, produced by Yale, has revealed that Americans are interested in the protection of the environment.

The climate opinion map, published earlier this month, depicts estimates of the percentage of Americans, aged 25 and over, who have particular beliefs, attitudes and policy preferences on global warming. The information comes from a large national survey dataset of 22,000 people which was collected between 2008 and 2018.

Notably, it reports that 70 per cent of Americans think the protection of the environment is more important than economic growth.

The map also shows that 70 per cent believe that global warming will harm future generations but only 41% think that global warming will harm them personally. This could be a problem that is preventing measures to protect the environment.

Interestingly, only 57 per cent of people believe that global warming is caused by human activities. This reflects the President of the United States opinion who has often remarked on his scepticism regarding global warming and climate change.

The data revealed that a massive 85 per cent support funding research into renewable energy sources. However, President Trump already has plans to undo Obama’s climate rule regarding renewable energy. This survey indicates that he may have more opposition than he previously thought.

Andrew Wheeler, acting administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S, has previously said: “When it comes to leadership, you can’t lead unless you listen.” This suggests that peoples’ opinions in the U.S. may become more valued.