Voters Overwhelmingly Support the Green New Deal
By Danielle Deiseroth and Lew Blank
In 2019, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey introduced the Green New Deal, a landmark resolution outlining the critical steps America should take to tackle the climate crisis, address environmental injustices, and ensure every American has access to a good-paying job. Since the Green New Deal’s introduction, Data for Progress has conducted extensive research and polling on the popularity of the bill and its policy planks.
With Representative Ocasio-Cortez set to reintroduce the Green New Deal resolution in Congress this week, Data for Progress assessed the popularity of the proposal and its policy planks among likely voters in an April 2021 national survey. Two years after the bill’s introduction, Data for Progress finds the Green New Deal resolution and its policy planks still enjoy remarkable support across party lines:
The Green New Deal remains highly popular, enjoying a 31-percentage-point margin of voter support. This includes nearly all Democrats, a majority of Independents, and over one-third of Republicans.
Voters want their member of Congress to co-sponsor the Green New Deal. A majority of voters (57 percent) say they would support if their member of Congress co-sponsored the Green New Deal resolution when it is reintroduced in Congress.
Co-sponsoring the Green New Deal can help members of Congress win in the 2022 midterms. A majority of voters (51 percent) say they’d be more likely to re-elect their representative if they co-sponsor the Green New Deal.
GOP attacks on the Green New Deal aren’t working. Even when presented with a right-wing talking point that the Green New Deal would be “a waste of taxpayer money that will increase the national debt”, a majority of voters (52 percent) still think lawmakers should pass the Green New Deal.
Every major policy plank of the Green New Deal enjoys widespread bipartisan support. Voters strongly support lowering utility costs, reducing pollution, helping family farmers adopt sustainable practices, making communities more resilient to extreme weather, and investing in frontline communities.
The Green New Deal Remains Popular
After providing voters with information that the Green New Deal is being reintroduced in Congress and a brief description of the resolution, voters say they support the Green New Deal by a 31-point margin (60 percent support, 29 percent oppose). The proposal receives support from nearly all Democrats (83 percent support, 6 percent oppose) and a majority of Independents (57 percent support, 29 percent oppose). Notably, despite persistent right-wing messaging against the Green New Deal, over one-third of Republican voters support the proposal (36 percent support, 53 percent oppose).
In addition to supporting the Green New Deal, voters want their representative to co-sponsor the resolution when it is re-introduced in Congress. Nearly all Democrats (81 percent), a majority of Independents (57 percent), and one-third of Republicans (33 percent) say they would support if their member of Congress becomes a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal.
For lawmakers looking ahead to the 2022 midterm elections, supporting the Green New Deal is not a vulnerability — 51 percent of voters say they would be more likely to re-elect their representative if they co-sponsor the Green New Deal, while only 34 percent said they would be less likely. With three-quarters of Democrats (75 percent) and a plurality of independents (45 percent) indicating they would be more likely to vote for members who cosponsor the Green New Deal, representatives can feel confident backing the resolution.
Right-Wing Talking Points Against the Green New Deal Are Failing
Since the introduction of the Green New Deal, Republicans and the right-wing media have consistently attacked the proposal as irresponsible government spending that will burden taxpayers.
To assess how partisan framing impacts support for the Green New Deal, Data for Progress presented voters with statements for and against the resolution. The positive framing highlighted how the proposal would “put Americans back to work, fight climate change, address social and racial injustice, and combat air and water pollution and related diseases like asthma and lead poisoning”, while the negative framing called the proposal “a waste of taxpayer money that will increase the national debt”.
We find that Democrats have a clear winning argument, and voters are not swayed by fears of raising the national debt. Despite seeing the oppositional talking point, voters maintain support for the Green New Deal by an 18-point margin (52 percent support, 34 percent oppose). This includes a 74-point margin of Democrats (80 percent support, 6 percent oppose) and a 13-point margin of Independents (52 percent support, 39 percent oppose). Unsurprisingly, a majority of Republicans (60 percent) align with the talking point around raising the national debt.
Every Major Policy Plank of the Green New Deal is Overwhelmingly Popular
A key reason why voters view the Green New Deal so favorably is that the policy planks of the resolution are immensely popular: At least two-thirds of voters support every major plank of the Green New Deal. Among the most popular policy planks are making utilities cheaper (83 percent support), reducing pollution to improve public health and ensure clean air and water (81 percent support), and helping small and family farms adopt sustainable farming practices (80 percent support). Also enjoying high levels of support are modernizing infrastructure to make it more energy-efficient (77 percent support), building new sustainable affordable housing (75 percent support), and making communities more resilient to extreme weather (74 percent support). Over two-thirds of voters (67 percent) support both investing in innovative technologies to fight climate change and targeting investments towards frontline communities to address income and public health disparities.
Conclusion
With control of both the White House and Congress, Democrats must take advantage of this historic legislative opportunity to fully tackle the climate crisis, create millions of new good-paying jobs, and empower frontline communities. Data for Progress polling finds that every major component of the Green New Deal enjoys support from at least two-thirds of voters, and the resolution is resilient to right-wing attacks about the cost. As lawmakers look ahead to 2022, they should feel confident backing the Green New Deal knowing that voters across party lines want the government to meet the moment and take action to ensure America is a more equitable and sustainable nation for generations to come.
Danielle Deiseroth (@danielledeis) is the Senior Climate Data Analyst at Data for Progress.
Lew Blank (@LewBlank) is a senior writer at Data for Progress.
Survey Methodology
From April 7 to April 9, 2021, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1251 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±3 percentage points.
Question Wording
Some lawmakers are reintroducing the Green New Deal, a proposal modeled off of the 'New Deal' programs created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression. A Green New Deal would put tens of millions of people to work in good-paying, union jobs modernizing our infrastructure making it more resilient to extreme weather and slowing the pace of climate change. The Green New Deal would also center frontline communities who have been disproportionately impacted by climate change and pollution in decision-making and resource allocation. Do you support or oppose the Green New Deal?
Strongly support
Somewhat support
Somewhat oppose
Strongly oppose
Don’t know
In 2019 during the 116th session of Congress, over 100 lawmakers co-sponsored the Green New Deal resolution. Would you support or oppose your member of Congress co-sponsoring the Green New Deal resolution when it is re-introduced in this session of Congress?
Strongly support
Somewhat support
Somewhat oppose
Strongly oppose
Don’t know
If your member of Congress co-sponsors the Green New Deal when it is re-introduced in this session of Congress, would you be more or less likely to vote for them when they are up for reelection in November 2022?
Much more likely
Somewhat more likely
Somewhat less likely
Much less likely
Don't know
Which statement comes closer to your view, even if neither is exactly right?
Lawmakers should pass the Green New Deal because we need to put Americans back to work, fight climate change, address social and racial injustice, and combat air and water pollution and related diseases like asthma and lead poisoning.
Lawmakers should not pass the Green New Deal because it is a waste of taxpayer money that will increase the national debt.
Don't know
Please indicate whether you support or oppose the following proposals:
Making our utilities cheaper
Reducing pollution to improve public health and ensure every American breathes clean air and drinks clean water
Working with small and family farmers to use sustainable farming and land-use practices
Modernizing infrastructure to be more energy-efficient
Building new sustainable, affordable housing
Making our communities more resilient to extreme weather
Investing in research and development and working with global partners to advance technologies to fight climate change
Making much-needed and long-overdue investments in low-income communities, communities of color, and other disadvantaged communities to address income and public health disparities.