Standard Questionnaire Template - Sierra Club

HART RESEARCH ASSOCIATES/CHESAPEAKE BEACH CONSULTING July 2016

Study #11925--page 1 Sierra Club RGGI Survey

1724 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 234-5570

Interviews: 1,209 registered voters in CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, NH, NY, RI, and VT Dates: July 19-24, 2016

FINAL Study #11925 Sierra Club RGGI Survey July 2016

Male Female

All RGGI States 47 53

CT 46 54

MD 47 53

MA 47 53

NH 47 53

Please note: all results are shown as percentages unless otherwise stated.

STATE

Connecticut...................... Delaware ......................... Maine ............................... Maryland .......................... Massachusetts ................. New Hampshire ............... New York ......................... Rhode Island ................... Vermont ...........................

1a.

Unweighted Number Of Respondents # 200 50 50 203 200 202 204 50 50

100 -

CONTINUE TERMINATE

Are you currently registered to vote in [STATE]?

Yes, registered ................. No, not registered ............ Not sure .........................

1c.

Weighted Percentage Of All Respondents % 8 3 4 16 15 4 45 3 2

First, does anyone in this household work for a radio station, a television station, a newspaper, an advertising agency, a market research firm, or a company in the energy industry? No .................................................... Yes .................................................. Not sure .........................................

1b.

Weighted Number Of Respondents # 102 32 50 195 181 44 548 36 21

All RGGI States 97 3 -

CT 98 1 1

MD 98 2 -

MA 95 5 -

NH 97 2 1

NY 97 3 -

For statistical purposes only, and to ensure that we have a representative sample, would you please tell me the year you were born?

18-24 ............................... 25-29 ............................... 30-34 ............................... 35-39 ............................... 40-44 ............................... 45-49 ............................... 50-54 ............................... 55-59 ............................... 60-64 ............................... 65-69 ............................... 70-74 ............................... 75 and over ...................... Refused .........................

All RGGI States 10 6 7 8 6 9 8 12 9 8 5 11 1

CT 9 6 5 7 6 10 7 14 12 6 7 11 -

MD 14 5 6 10 6 10 8 11 7 9 6 7 1

MA 13 4 6 9 6 8 7 14 10 7 6 9 1

NH 3 11 7 5 4 12 10 13 8 12 5 10 -

NY 8 7 9 7 6 10 8 12 9 7 4 12 1

NY 46 54


1de.

Finally, are you from a Hispanic or Spanish-speaking background? (IF RESPONDENT SAYS "NO" OR “NOT SURE,” ASK:) What is your race–white, black, Asian, or something else?

White ........................................ Black/African American............. Hispanic .................................... Asian ........................................ Other ........................................ Not sure/refused ..................... 2ab.

All RGGI States 47 7 29 3 14 54 32

CT 79 7 9 1 3 1

MD 63 28 4 2 2 1

MA 84 6 5 2 2 1

NH 90 1 3 3 3

NY 67 14 13 5 1 -

CT 25 6 56 2 11 31 58

MD 58 5 15 5 17 63 20

MA 61 7 9 4 19 68 13

NH 48 4 32 2 14 52 34

NY 43 8 34 2 13 51 36

How much of a problem do you consider the issue of climate change to be–a very serious problem, a somewhat serious problem, not that much of a problem, or not a problem at all?

Very serious problem........................ Somewhat serious problem .............. Not that much of a problem .............. Not a problem at all .......................... Not sure ..........................................

4ab.

All RGGI States 73 13 8 3 2 1

Overall do you approve or disapprove of the way [GOVERNOR] is handling (his/her) job as governor? (IF RESPONDENT SAYS “NOT SURE,” ASK:) Well which way do you lean–more toward approve or disapprove?

Approve ................................ Approve (lean) ...................... Disapprove ........................... Disapprove (lean) ................. Not sure .............................. Total Approve Total Disapprove

3.


All RGGI States 45 31 14 9 1

CT 41 35 13 7 4

MD 47 30 13 8 2

MA 54 27 12 7 -

NH 40 28 20 10 2

NY 42 31 15 11 1

As you may know, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is a program that nine states in the Northeast, including [STATE], participate in. The program sets a cap on the amount of carbon pollution that power plants in the participating states can release, and companies that produce energy must buy credits for the carbon pollution they release. The revenue raised from selling these credits goes to things such as energy efficiency programs, development of clean and renewable energy sources, credits to help consumers pay their electric bill, and worker training for clean energy jobs. The program requires power plants in each state to decrease the amount of carbon pollution they release overall by two and a half percent every year through 2020. Based on this description, would you say you support or oppose [STATE]’s participation in this program? (IF RESPONDENT SAYS "SUPPORT" OR "OPPOSE," ASK:) And do you strongly (support/oppose) or somewhat (support/oppose) [STATE]’s participation?

Support strongly ......................... Support somewhat ..................... Oppose somewhat ..................... Oppose strongly ......................... Not sure.................................... Total Support Total Oppose

All RGGI States 47 30 6 8 9 77 14

CT 45 29 3 11 12 74 14

MD 44 35 6 7 8 79 13

MA 53 31 4 6 6 84 10

NH 40 28 9 11 12 68 20

NY 48 28 6 9 9 76 15


5ab.

There is a proposal to change the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative's carbon pollution cap by requiring power plants in each state to decrease the amount of carbon pollution they release by FIVE percent every year. Most companies have been decreasing pollution by this amount already, and under this proposal they would be required to continue doing so. Would you support or oppose this proposed change in the program? (IF RESPONDENT SAYS "SUPPORT" OR "OPPOSE," ASK:) And would you strongly (support/oppose) or somewhat (support/oppose) this?


6.


All RGGI States 52 27 6 8 7 79 14

CT 50 28 6 8 8 78 14

MD 54 27 4 7 8 81 11

MA 53 28 7 7 5 81 14

NH 39 29 5 14 13 68 19

NY 51 28 6 9 6 79 15

If this change is made and states in this program are required to decrease carbon pollution from power plants by five percent every year, what effect do you think it would have on each of the following areas in [STATE]? Would it have a positive effect, a negative effect, or no real effect either way in this area? THIS TABLE HAS BEEN RANKED BY THE PERCENTAGE OF ALL RGGI STATES WHO SAY POSITIVE EFFECT

Positive Effect

Negative Effect

No Real Effect Either Way

Not Sure

All RGGI States ............................................................................................... CT .................................................................................................................... MD ................................................................................................................... MA ................................................................................................................... NH ................................................................................................................... NY ................................................................................................................... People's health

80 75 84 79 73 81

4 2 3 3 6 5

11 17 11 14 17 8

5 6 2 4 4 6

All RGGI States ............................................................................................... CT .................................................................................................................... MD ................................................................................................................... MA ................................................................................................................... NH ................................................................................................................... NY ................................................................................................................... The quality of our environment, including things such as climate change

79 72 81 83 70 80

5 1 4 3 3 7

12 19 9 12 21 11

4 8 6 2 6 2

All RGGI States ............................................................................................... CT .................................................................................................................... MD ................................................................................................................... MA ................................................................................................................... NH ................................................................................................................... NY ................................................................................................................... Development of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar

74 68 73 75 63 76

5 3 5 5 3 6

14 19 13 17 24 12

7 10 9 3 10 6

All RGGI States ............................................................................................... CT .................................................................................................................... MD ................................................................................................................... MA ................................................................................................................... NH ................................................................................................................... NY ...................................................................................................................

73 69 74 78 69 73

5 4 5 3 7 5

15 19 12 15 16 14

7 8 9 4 8 8

Air quality



Q.6 cont’d

Positive Effect

Negative Effect

No Real Effect Either Way

Not Sure

All RGGI States ............................................................................................... CT .................................................................................................................... MD ................................................................................................................... MA ................................................................................................................... NH ................................................................................................................... NY ................................................................................................................... The reliability of the electricity system

48 39 45 48 39 52

16 16 17 11 23 17

24 32 25 30 26 21

12 13 13 11 12 10

All RGGI States ............................................................................................... CT .................................................................................................................... MD ................................................................................................................... MA ................................................................................................................... NH ................................................................................................................... NY ................................................................................................................... The cost of electricity

42 37 44 38 34 45

11 8 12 8 12 12

30 38 30 34 34 28

17 17 14 20 20 15

All RGGI States ............................................................................................... CT .................................................................................................................... MD ................................................................................................................... MA ................................................................................................................... NH ................................................................................................................... NY ...................................................................................................................

37 30 35 33 29 43

32 35 37 36 42 28

17 19 18 18 19 15

14 16 10 13 10 14

Jobs and the economy

(Q.7 AND Q.8 ARE ROTATED)

7.

I'm going to read you a statement that could be made by SUPPORTERS of this idea to change the carbon pollution requirements of this program. This program has already set participating states on the right path. They are on track to reduce carbon pollution from power plants by fifty percent by 2020, which is a great start, but will still mean tens of millions of tons of this pollution being released into the air every year. We can do better. Locking in reductions in carbon pollution will result in fewer health problems and a cleaner environment in [STATE]. At the same time, the program will raise billions of dollars more to develop clean, renewable energy, create thousands of new jobs, and save consumers billions of dollars through greater energy efficiency. This is a market-based solution that has been proven to work, and can work even better going forward. How convincing do you find this statement to be–very convincing, somewhat convincing, not that convincing, or not convincing at all?

Very convincing ............................. Somewhat convincing ................... Not that convincing ........................ Not convincing at all ...................... Not sure .......................................


CT 26 44 12 14 4

MD 29 42 13 12 4

MA 24 52 12 10 2

NH 21 44 14 17 4

NY 29 46 10 13 2


8.


I'm going to read you a statement that could be made by OPPONENTS of this idea to change the carbon pollution requirements of this program. This program is nothing more than an energy tax on consumers. Because power companies have to buy credits, they end up passing the costs along to consumers, meaning higher electricity prices for everyone, something that hits seniors and lower-income consumers especially hard. And the program is subject to how political winds blow–New Jersey previously left the program, saying that it did not help the state reduce pollution, and there's nothing to stop more states from leaving as well. Plus this program creates bureaucracy in [STATE] that is no longer even necessary, because new rules from the federal government may require the state to reduce its carbon pollution anyway. How convincing do you find this statement to be–very convincing, somewhat convincing, not that convincing, or not convincing at all?

Very convincing ............................. Somewhat convincing ................... Not that convincing ........................ Not convincing at all ...................... Not sure .......................................

9ab.


CT 26 31 20 18 5

MD 22 34 21 18 5

MA 19 41 21 16 3

NH 22 32 17 23 6

NY 20 31 22 22 5

Now that you have heard more about it, would you say that you support or oppose the proposal to change the carbon pollution cap by requiring power plants in each state to decrease the amount of carbon pollution they release by five percent every year? (IF RESPONDENT SAYS "SUPPORT" OR "OPPOSE," ASK:) And would you strongly (support/oppose) or somewhat (support/oppose) this?


All RGGI States 46 26 7 11 10 72 18

MD 43 28 9 9 11 71 18

MA 43 32 10 10 5 75 20

NH 36 25 12 16 11 61 28

NY 50 23 6 11 10 73 17

Support strongly ......................... Support somewhat ..................... Oppose somewhat ..................... Oppose strongly ......................... Not sure .................................... Total Support Total Oppose

Q.5ab Initial Response All RGGI States CT MD 52 50 54 27 28 27 6 6 4 8 8 7 7 8 8 79 78 81 14 14 11

MA 53 28 7 7 5 81 14

NH 39 29 5 14 13 68 19

NY 51 28 6 9 6 79 15

CT 40 27 9 14 10 67 23



FACTUALS: Now I am going to ask you a few questions for statistical purposes only.

F1.

Generally speaking, do you think of yourself as a Democrat, a Republican, or something else? (IF RESPONDENT SAYS "DEMOCRAT" OR "REPUBLICAN," ASK:) Would you call yourself a strong (Democrat/Republican) or not a very strong (Democrat/Republican)? (IF RESPONDENT SAYS "SOMETHING ELSE" OR "NOT SURE," ASK:) Do you think of yourself as closer to the Democratic Party or the Republican Party?

Strong Democrat .......................................... Not a very strong Democrat ......................... Closer to the Democratic Party .................... Neither/independent/something else ............ Closer to the Republican Party..................... Not a very strong Republican ....................... Strong Republican ........................................ Not sure...................................................... Total Democrat Total Republican

F2.

CT 26 12 10 19 11 8 11 3 48 30

MD 31 15 8 12 8 6 17 3 54 31

MA 26 12 16 21 8 7 7 3 54 22

NH 15 6 14 23 12 4 19 7 35 35

NY 26 17 7 16 6 14 10 4 50 30

Thinking about your general approach to issues, do you consider yourself to be very conservative, somewhat conservative, middle of the road, somewhat liberal, or very liberal?

Very conservative .......................... Somewhat conservative ................ Middle of the road.......................... Somewhat liberal ........................... Very liberal .................................... Not sure ....................................... Total Conservative Total Liberal

F3.

All RGGI States 26 14 10 17 8 10 11 4 50 29

All RGGI States 13 21 33 17 11 5 34 28

CT 16 23 30 19 11 1 39 30

MD 14 22 36 18 6 4 36 24

MA 8 18 32 21 16 5 26 37

NH 18 21 34 12 10 5 39 22

NY 14 22 31 16 10 7 36 26

What is the last grade that you completed in school?

High school graduate ............................................... Some college, no degree ......................................... Vocational training, 2-year college ........................... 4-year college/bachelor's degree ............................. Some postgraduate work, no degree ....................... 2-3 years’ postgraduate work/master's degree ........ Doctoral/law degree ................................................. Not sure/refused ....................................................

All RGGI States 26 14 11 22 5 15 4 3

CT 27 16 9 22 6 14 5 1

MD 25 18 7 25 3 13 5 4

MA 24 15 10 25 3 15 5 3

NH 23 16 10 24 5 12 5 5

NY 27 12 13 20 5 16 3 4


F4.


Finally, if you added together the yearly income of all the members of your family who were living at home last year, what would the total be? I'm going to read some income ranges, please stop me when I reach the range for your family–less than twenty thousand dollars, between twenty thousand dollars and thirty thousand dollars, between thirty thousand dollars and fifty thousand dollars, between fifty thousand dollars and seventy-five thousand dollars, between seventy-five thousand dollars and one hundred thousand dollars, or more than one hundred thousand dollars?

Less than $20,000 ................................... Between $20,000 and $30,000 ................ Between $30,000 and $50,000 ................ Between $50,000 and $75,000 ................ Between $75,000 and $100,000 .............. More than $100,000 ................................ Not sure/refused ....................................

All RGGI States 9 9 12 16 13 26 15

CT 5 9 10 15 12 34 15

MD 6 7 10 11 17 42 7

MA 10 9 13 13 13 27 15

NH 13 9 12 11 9 28 18

NY 11 8 13 18 12 19 19