Five Years After Its Introduction, the Green New Deal Is Still Incredibly Popular
By Grace Adcox and Catherine Fraser
On its fifth anniversary, the Green New Deal has indelibly left its mark on climate policy in the United States. Introduced by Senator Edward J. Markey and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the landmark resolution laid out an ambitious vision for intersectional climate action in the United States that shaped major pieces of legislation passed under the Biden administration, including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Five years since the Green New Deal’s introduction, new polling from Data for Progress finds Americans are taking climate change increasingly seriously. Nearly half (49%) of voters view climate change as more serious now than they did in the past, followed by 33% whose views of climate change have not changed, and 14% who view climate change as less serious than they did in the past.
A majority (57%) of voters see climate change and extreme weather events as kitchen table issues, with 22% considering them often and 35% considering them sometimes in discussions at home. What’s more, strong majorities of voters are at least “somewhat concerned” about the impacts of climate change (63%), air and water pollution (74%), and extreme weather events (68%) on their community.
When it comes to other topics that intersect with climate policy, voters want lawmakers to prioritize the economy and jobs (33%) and public health (23%) most when taking actions to address the environment and climate change. Americans also overwhelmingly support proposals within the Green New Deal to make utilities cheaper (89%), reduce pollution (84%), work with small and family farmers to use sustainable farming and land-use practices (81%), and modernize infrastructure to be more energy-efficient (80%), among other policies.
In more recent congressional sessions, lawmakers have introduced a suite of new Green New Deal bills, covering issues ranging from schools to housing. These Green New Deal bills all enjoy strong majority support among American voters. After reading descriptions of the following proposals, a majority of voters support the Green New Deal agenda (65%), the Green New Deal for Public Housing (67%), the Green New Deal for Public Schools (68%), the Green New Deal for Cities (63%), and the Green New Deal for Health (68%). The results align closely with national support for these Green New Deal bills found in previous Data for Progress polling conducted in 2021 and 2022.
On top of voter support for the Green New Deal, Americans want their members of Congress to cosponsor and support the Green New Deal, too. Sixty-two percent of voters support their member of Congress cosponsoring the Green New Deal resolution when it’s reintroduced in this session of Congress. Fifty-seven percent of voters also report being more likely to vote for their member of Congress when they are up for reelection in 2024 if they cosponsor the Green New Deal when it is reintroduced.
As members of Congress mark the five-year anniversary of the Green New Deal’s introduction, the bill enjoys enduring support among American voters, as does the suite of introduced bills that cover specific components of the Green New Deal agenda, including a Green New Deal for Public Housing and for Public Schools.
Grace Adcox (@GraceAdcox) is the Senior Climate Strategist at Data for Progress.
Catherine Fraser (@cathwfraser)is the Senior Climate and Energy Program Associate at Data for Progress.