Like many Americans, Ron Theusch is getting more worried about .
A resident of Alden, Minnesota, Theusch has noticed increasingly dry and mild winters punctuated by short periods of severe cold 鈥� .
As he thinks about that, future generations are on his mind. 鈥淲e have four children that are in their 20s,鈥� the 56-year-old truck driver and moderate Democrat said. "It's like, what鈥檚 our grandkids' world going to be like?鈥�
A new poll from shows that 45% of adults in the United States say they have become more concerned about climate change over the past year, including roughly 6 in 10 Democrats and one-quarter of Republicans.
President Joe Biden鈥檚 signature climate change policy, , was intended to address some of those fears, investing billions in incentives for consumers and businesses to move toward clean energy sources. Biden has pointed to this climate agenda as a major presidential success during his run for reelection. But the poll suggests that although the law has already affected some Americans, it's not widely known among the general population 鈥� and may not be the electoral boost Biden is looking for.
About one-quarter of Americans say tax credits for have benefited people like them so far, with similar numbers for incentives for companies to manufacture clean energy technologies in the U.S. rather than abroad, tax credits for individuals to , or subsidies and tax credits for and . Those numbers are fairly substantial for a law that passed less than two years ago, where the benefits largely hinge on big-ticket purchases like cars or home improvements.
Promoting electric vehicles has also been a major focus for the Biden administration, and 15% of U.S. adults say electric vehicles have had a good impact on them personally.
鈥淚 totally agree with the act because it鈥檚 done so many things for people,鈥� said Charles Lopez, a 65-year-old liberal Democrat from the Florida Keys. 鈥淭hey help everybody ... I鈥檓 not ready for a full electric, but I鈥檒l get there when there鈥檚 enough charging stations.鈥�
But the people who say they have benefited from the law are disproportionately Democrats. And while only about 1 in 10 U.S. adults think the individual tax credits and subsidies have hurt people like them, those provisions of the law aren鈥檛 yet registering with the majority of Americans 鈥� roughly one-quarter say those credits haven鈥檛 made a difference to people like them. Nearly 4 in 10 in each instance don鈥檛 know enough to have an opinion about them.
鈥淚 still think that, as much as we鈥檇 like for them to be implemented in a way that we can actually see results, it鈥檚 not really happening in my eyes,鈥� said Sandra Sherman, a 62-year-old resident of Vero Beach, Florida, who identifies as a liberal Democrat. 鈥淲ith solar panels, although it seems like a really good idea, I see very few people in the area in Florida that I live in that actually have them.鈥�
Generally, U.S. adults also aren鈥檛 confident the IRA will have an impact even in more time. The poll found that only between 23% and 35% of U.S. adults say the law鈥檚 key components will eventually help address climate change. About 2 in 10 think the main provisions of the law will make no difference in addressing climate change, and about one-third don't know enough to say.
鈥淎 lot of the public feeling on it is, 鈥榳ell something needs to be done,鈥� but not necessarily knowing what needs to be done or not even necessarily having strong feelings about what needs to be done,鈥� said David Weakliem, a University of 老澳门六合彩开奖记录资料icut professor emeritus.
Biden still has an advantage over his opponent, former President Donald Trump, when it comes to climate change generally. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults and two-thirds of Democrats have 鈥渁 lot鈥� or 鈥渟ome鈥� trust in Biden on climate change. That includes 29-year-old Jaime Said, a moderate Republican.
Biden has 鈥渢alked about it more and he has mentioned a few plans of things he wants to do. So even if he doesn鈥檛 do them, at the very least he鈥檚 thinking about them. That鈥檚 kind of headed in the right direction,鈥� Said, a medical student in Panama City, Florida, said.
鈥淚 know already, right off the bat, (Trump is) not going to address it much,鈥� Said added. "That鈥檚 why I don鈥檛 have too much faith in him doing anything about it."
Only about 3 in 10 say they have 鈥渁 lot鈥� or 鈥渟ome鈥� trust in Trump with regard to addressing climate change.
But one of Biden's major pitches for the IRA 鈥� 鈥� doesn't seem to be resonating. According to the poll, only about 2 in 10 Americans say the law has done more to help the U.S. economy, while about one-quarter think it's done more to hurt the economy, and about half think it either made no difference or don't know enough to say.
And broadly, a majority of Americans say the federal government is currently doing 鈥渢oo little鈥� to address climate change. They generally agree it鈥檚 important for the government to support climate solutions. About half say it鈥檚 extremely or very important to limit the use of products and technologies that harm the environment, and nearly half say it's important for the government to pass stricter environmental laws and regulations. About 4 in 10 say it's important for the government to build a national network of public charging stations for electric vehicles, which is .
Most say it鈥檚 extremely or very important for the federal government to invest in new, environmentally friendly technologies, and most, like 38-year-old Julio Carmona, a health program associate who lives in Stratford, 老澳门六合彩开奖记录资料icut, and identifies as a moderate Democrat, say the same about enforcing current environmental regulations.
鈥淲e can all do our part when it comes to saving energy, recycling and all those other things,鈥� said Carmona. 鈥淏ut if the big corporations aren鈥檛 doing it, I think that, for me, would be where the government should start.鈥�
___
The poll of 1,204 adults was conducted April 4-8, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC鈥檚 probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
___
Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate solutions reporter. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, . Reach her at [email protected].
___ The Associated Press鈥� climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP鈥檚 for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .
Alexa St. John And Linley Sanders, The Associated Press
