Voters Strongly Support the Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act

By Kevin Hanley and Grace Adcox

In light of the recently proposed Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act, Data for Progress surveyed 1,202 likely voters to gauge support for the bill, which would require the largest U.S.-based fossil fuel companies to pay into a fund to finance a wide range of efforts to tackle the impacts of climate change.

Consistent with results from a December 2023 poll fielded in conjunction with Fossil Free Media, we find that two-thirds of likely voters support a bill to make polluters pay to confront the climate crisis, including half of Republican voters (50%). Black (71%) and Latino (79%) voters show stronger support than voters overall.

Other questions in the survey reveal that, compared with previous research, similar numbers of voters believe that climate change is mostly the result of human activity rather than natural changes in the climate cycle (60%). In addition, a plurality of voters (48%) believe that private corporations have the most responsibility for causing or accelerating climate change in the U.S.

Voters as a whole are divided on who should pay the majority of the costs associated with addressing climate change: 33% say private companies should pay for a majority of the costs, while 32% say no group in particular should be primarily responsible. However, sentiment is stronger among younger voters, as 37% of respondents under 45 think that private companies should be most responsible for bearing the financial burden of climate change. These findings align with the popularity of the Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act, which garners robust support (69%) from young voters.

As the United States deals with the massive costs of fossil-fueled climate change, novel approaches to fund the fight against climate change must be considered. This research demonstrates wide support for the recently proposed Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act.

Kevin Hanley (@kebhanley) is a senior analyst at Data for Progress.

Grace Adcox (@GraceAdcox) is a senior climate strategist at Data for Progress.