Pew Research Poll Shows Majority of U.S. Opposes Phasing Out Fossil Fuels

The Pew Research Center released a new poll which found that nearly two-thirds of the U.S. public opposes phasing out fossil fuels as a means of addressing climate change.

In the poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) say the U.S. should use a mix of energy sources going forward – including oil, coal and natural gas, along with renewables. Only about a third (33%) of Americans support phasing out fossil fuels entirely.

“Even as Americans identify a number of pressing national problems, majorities see an array of actors, from government to business, as doing too little to reduce the effects of climate change and are broadly supportive of a range of policy approaches that would help address climate change, including moving toward renewable energy sources, developing infrastructure for electric vehicles, and increasing taxes and restrictions on carbon emissions,” the Pew Research Center stated in its report.

“Still, most Americans favor using a mix of energy sources to meet the country’s needs – including renewables as well as oil, coal and natural gas. There is limited support for phasing out the use of fossil fuels altogether.”

Other findings in the poll include:

• A majority (60%) of Americans say that increasing job and economic growth is a very important consideration to them personally when it comes to proposals to reduce the effects of climate change.
• As Americans think about proposals to address climate change, Black (68%) and Hispanic adults (55%) stand out for the high shares who say it is very important to them that such proposals help lower-income communities.

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