In the Wake of a Costly Winter, Voters Strongly Support Providing Assistance for Energy Consumers
By Tim Bresnahan
The winter of 2023 made wildly disparate impacts on different parts of the United States. While Los Angeles residents took stunning photos of snow-covered mountains rising above their city, folks in New York City stared at the bare ground and probably wondered why they’d bothered to buy a shovel.
However, one thing did unite the nation this winter: an unwelcome surge in the cost of energy. Citing inflation, growing demand, and the war in Ukraine, utility companies raised rates for electricity and natural gas in late 2022, and the ensuing energy bills were jaw-dropping for consumers from California to the Rockies, the Midwest to New England.
In new polling by Data for Progress, nearly three-quarters of likely voters say their heating and energy costs went up during the recently concluded winter. Rural voters were particularly affected, with 75 percent reporting higher energy costs, compared with 66 percent of urban voters.
The sticker shock of these energy bills prompted some lawmakers to propose measures to provide financial assistance to residents dealing with such increased costs. More than three-quarters of likely voters say they would support such a measure in their state. This sentiment holds across partisanship, with 89 percent of Democrats and 70 percent of both Independents and Republicans in favor of giving assistance to people confronting high energy costs.
At a time when the cost of living is already onerous, the steep increase in electric and gas bills this winter added a significant financial burden to individuals and families across the country. Voters strongly support the idea of providing assistance to residents beset by these added costs, and lawmakers should take note.
Tim Bresnahan is a copy editor at Data for Progress.