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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Do most Americans endorse moving to cleaner energy?

By Austin Tannenbaum
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YES

According to a 2019 Pew Research poll, 77% of Americans (90% of Democrats and 62% of Republicans) agree the country's "most important energy priority" should be developing "alternative energy" rather than increasing fossil-fuel production.

As to which alternative, 92% of respondents favor solar-panel farms and 85% favor wind-turbine farms. Meanwhile, 42% favor more offshore oil and gas production, 38% more hydraulic fracking and 35% more coal mining.

In a 2018 Gallup poll, 73% of Americans said they thought the U.S. should prioritize the development of solar and wind over oil, gas and coal. But only 30% supported a dramatic reduction of fossil fuels over the next two decades.

Support for prioritizing climate-change policies has climbed from 30% in 2008 to 52% in 2020.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Pew Research: US public views on climate and energy
Gallup: Responses on energy, 2018
Pew Research: Increased support for prioritizing policies on the environment, climate change
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.