A few months ago, I mentioned a Cato Institute poll that showed that while people may prefer to buy American-made products, they certainly don’t want to pay higher prices for them, and that could be a big problem for those who favor an energetic tariff agenda. The same is true for a clean-energy transition.
The American Enterprise Institute’s Roger Pielke and Ruy Teixeira posted a preview of a survey and polling data that will come out after the election. It has this tidbit:
American voters are reluctant to pay even a small amount to support climate action and this willingness drops quickly as the proposed small costs increase.
When asked if they would support just a $1 monthly fee on their electricity bill to fight climate change, only 47 percent say they would while almost as many (43 percent) are opposed. Even at this level, opposition is greater than support among working-class voters. When the proposed fee is increased to $20, overall voter support plummets to 26 percent with 60 percent opposed. At $40, it is 19 percent support to 69 percent opposition; at $75 it is 15 percent vs. 72 percent; and at $100 it is 7:1 against (77 percent to 11 percent) paying such a fee to combat climate change.
More interesting numbers are at the link.