So how is Joe Biden’s war on conventional energy and “things that work” shaping up so far? If you ask the people in the administration and the various climate alarmists around the country, things are going swimmingly. Bans on gas-powered vehicles are being enacted in multiple states and issuance of drilling permits for oil and gas remain locked up in bureaucratic red tape. Wind farms and solar arrays funded by massive and unsustainable subsidies that burden taxpayers continue to be erected. But how is this all sitting with the public in general? According to the most recent polling presented by the American Energy Alliance, not very well at all.

The American Energy Alliance and the Committee to Unleash Prosperity recently completed a nationwide survey of 1000 likely voters (3.1% margin of error) executed in the first two weeks of May.  A full slide deck of the results can be found here.

As Mike McKenna of MWR Strategies notes, there are a few salient points worth noting.

“First, and probably most pointedly, Republicans continue to be on solid ground with respect to who should make decisions about (and who should pay for) car and truck purchases, on carbon dioxide taxes, on willingness to pay to address climate change, on issue prioritization, and even on the fundamentals of the science” (by a margin of 19 points respondents identified carbon dioxide as “needed for plant life” rather than a “pollutant”).

The topline analysis of the survey results clearly indicates that the climate issue is yet another topic where the Biden administration and progressive activists in general are completely out of touch with the American public. They concluded that a significant majority of voters “don’t seem to care much” about climate change and their willingness to dig into their own pockets to foot the bill for all of this has largely “evaporated.” The results also support the idea that the public doesn’t trust the federal government very much and they don’t think Washington should be deciding “what kinds of cars should be subsidized or mandated.”

The question of choice in automobile purchases proved to be a major sticking point. Respondents were asked if they agreed with the statement, “Gasoline-powered cars should be banned.” 15% agreed while 82% disagreed. Only three percent had no opinion. Also, 79% agreed that “we shouldn’t make energy more expensive” while just 19% disagreed.

When it comes to the topic of carbon emissions, the alarmists are definitely in a significant minority. Roughly one-third of respondents said that carbon dioxide is “a pollutant that damages the environment and compromises human health.” By comparison, more than half said that it is “needed for plant life, and humans both exhale it and consume it every day.”

The idea of heavy-handed government regulations and fees or fines didn’t fly very well either. A staggering 83% said they opposed plans to make it illegal to sell lawnmowers, snowblowers, gasoline-powered vehicles or other related equipment. 77% opposed raising taxes on energy for any reason. The survey also asked if people felt they are paying too much, not enough, or about the right amount for gasoline, home heating, and electricity. Big majorities said “too much” in all three categories while virtually no one said “not enough.”

The years of dreaming, scheming, and screaming from the climate alarmist community simply haven’t moved the needle significantly with the American public. The Democrats are still planning to campaign on climate issues in the 2024 elections. I say let them go for it. Every survey we’ve seen on this topic strongly suggests that they’ll just be hanging themselves with their own rope.