Since 2013, support for alternative energy has increased among both Republicans and Democrats.
These results, which show a large majority of Americans favoring alternative energy as a solution to the nation’s energy problems, came out of Gallup’s annual Environment poll, which was conducted in early March. Gallup analyst Zac Auter writes:
While a majority of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents have favored emphasizing alternative energy over traditional fossil fuel sources since 2011, this year marks the first time a majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents prefer an alternative energy strategy. The 51% of Republicans who now favor alternative energy is up from the previous high of 46% in 2011.
Auter speculates that low fuel prices may have an an impact of the results:
The increase in the share of Americans–both Republican and Democrat–preferring an alternative energy strategy in 2016 coincides with an oil supply surplus that has caused fuel prices to plummet. High fuel costs may prime American consumers to prefer increased production of oil and gas as a means to alleviate burdensome prices at the pump. Low fuel costs, however, might be paving the way for a greater willingness to support alternative energy solutions.
Read more from Gallup >>
