The Walton Family Foundation funded a poll to help better understand Americans' priorities for protecting water and addressing climate change. The poll reveals almost universal agreement among Americans that our country needs to take immediate action on climate change, regardless of political affiliation. Findings also make it clear that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are more concerned about the state of the environment and hold a more pessimistic outlook on the future of the environment compared to the rest of the population.
The poll results show that there is a broad consensus that the U.S. needs to take more action to address climate change. Fully 72% of respondents say that more needs to be done and 73% think humans can take action to reduce the impacts of climate change. At a time of deep partisan division, 88% of Democrats, 73% of Independents, and 55% of Republicans think humans can take action to reduce the impact of climate change. Almost 9 out of 10 Americans (88%) think companies have an obligation to take more action on environmental issues. Additionally, the majority of those polled (57%) believe the climate conditions will be worse for the next generation.