Voters Trust Biden on Climate Change
Executive Summary
Voters trust Biden to handle climate change more than any other issue
A majority of voters trust Biden over Trump to handle major problems, including the coronavirus pandemic, the economy and job market, and race relations
Climate change emerges as a top issue that undecided and Independent voters trust Biden the most to handle
Last week, the Democratic National Convention showcased the stark differences between the Democratic nominee for president, former Vice President Joe Biden, and President Donald Trump. Over four nights of programming, speakers ranging from President Barack Obama to a small business owner in Ohio spoke to the American people about why they trust Biden to handle the major problems facing our country today.
This week, Republicans have their chance to present their case for President Trump’s re-election. Over the past few nights, Republicans have claimed that Trump will save the economy, heal the nation, and make America great again, again.
While Republicans close out their convention week making their final pitches for another four years of a Trump presidency, recent polling from Data for Progress shows that voters trust Biden over Trump to handle the biggest issues facing America. And despite Trump’s claims this week that the Green New Deal will lead to ‘nothing except debt and death’, voters trust Biden over Trump to handle climate change more than any other issue.
As part of an August survey, we asked voters if they trust Vice President Joe Biden or President Donald Trump to handle a number of major issues facing the nation, including the coronavirus pandemic, the economy and job market, race relations, education, immigration, and climate change. Overall, a majority of all voters trust Biden over Trump to handle each of these issues. Among the issues that voters say they trust Biden the most are climate change (60 percent trust Biden), race relations (58 percent trust Biden), and healthcare (57 percent trust Biden).
Similarly, voters also trust Biden over Trump to fix the major issues facing the country. Voters trust Biden the most to take action to solve climate change (51 percent trust Biden), address the coronavirus pandemic (51 percent trust Biden), and fix the healthcare system (49 percent).
Among undecided voters, a majority of those who say they are leaning towards voting for Biden trust him over Trump to handle major problems. These voters say they trust Biden the most to handle healthcare (88 percent trust Biden), climate change (86 percent trust Biden), and race relations (86 percent trust Biden).
While a majority of undecided voters who say they are leaning towards voting for Trump trust him over Biden to handle major issues, these voters say they trust Biden the most to handle climate change (42 percent trust Biden). A significant percentage of these voters also trust Biden to handle race relations (40 percent trust Biden), the coronavirus pandemic (37 percent trust Biden), and abortion (37 percent trust Biden).
Additionally, a majority of voters who self-identify as Independents, a group critical to pushing Biden over the finish line in November, trust Biden over Trump to tackle the nation’s problems. The issues that Independents trust Biden the most to handle are race relations (63 percent trust Biden), climate change (62 percent trust Biden), Social Security (60 percent trust Biden), and healthcare (60 percent trust Biden).
After nearly four years of the Trump administration, voters trust Biden over Trump to handle the major problems gripping America today, like climate change, healthcare, and racial inequality. More than any other issue, voters trust Biden to handle climate change and take action to solve the climate crisis. Climate change also emerges as the key issue that undecided voters and Independents trust Biden to handle over Trump.
As Hurricane Laura grows to a Category 4 storm, wildfires rage in California, and Iowa reckons with the aftermath of the recent derecho, voters are making it overwhelmingly clear that Biden is more trustworthy to handle the climate crisis. While Republicans continue to ignore climate change and spread misinformation, the Biden campaign should continue building and sharing their very popular and ambitious climate agenda with the American people to meet the moment and take action to stop climate change.
Danielle Deiseroth (@danielledeis) is the Climate Data Analyst at Data for Progress. You can email her at danielle@dataforprogress.org
Survey Methodology:
On August 21, 2020, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,135 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 +/- 2.7 percent.
Survey Questions:
Who do you trust more to handle each of the following problems? (Vice President Joe Biden, President Donald Trump, Neither)
Healthcare
Immigration
Education
Gun control
Abortion
National security
Social security
Climate change
Race relations
None of these
2. Who do you trust more to do each of the following? (Vice President Joe Biden, President Donald Trump, Neither)
Create new jobs
Address the coronavirus pandemic
Fix the healthcare system
Reform immigration laws
Improve the education system
Reduce the number of mass shootings
Strengthen America’s relationships with foreign nations
Protect America from foreign enemies
Take action to solve climate change
Heal race relations