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Asian Americans’ Green Values

August 14, 2024July 24, 2013 by SwatchJunkies

As populations grow and political preferences shift, Asian Americans are emerging as an increasingly powerful voting bloc. And politicos, NGOs, and pollsters alike are just beginning to pay more attention. So, while polling data are still fairly spotty, evidence is mounting that most Asian Americans hold particularly strong green values.

In fact, research indicates Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders rank much higher on their commitment and identification with environmentalism than the rest of the US population.

This is significant. Asian Americans represent just over 5 percent of the total population, but according to the US Census, the Asian American population grew by 46 percent between 2000 and 2010—faster than any other racial or ethnic group. And in California, Asian Americans make up 15 percent of the state’s resident population (almost three times the size of the state’s African-American population). Asian Americans constitute a majority of the population in Hawaii (57 percent), and are also a significant portion of the state populations in New Jersey (9 percent), Washington (9 percent), New York (8 percent), and Virginia (7 percent). Plus, Asian Americans, who voted in record numbers in 2008, turned out in even higher numbers in 2012.

What’s also significant is that Asian Americans have been shifting to the political left more generally.

Weekend Reading 5/17/13

August 14, 2024May 17, 2013 by SwatchJunkies

Alan

National Journal takes a look behind the scenes at what Republican leaders and activists are saying about climate change, and it includes some good news.

Anna

The best thing I read this week was this European history told the way we’re used to hearing about Native American history. It’s funny in that way that also makes you want to cry for shame.

The best thing I heard this week was Barbara Ehrenreich on Alternative Radio talking about how in this country we have a nasty practice of kicking people when they’re down. “Do we lend a helping hand to the poor? Barely. Let them eat op-eds about values and the virtues of hard work. There’s billions to fund the latest F-whatever fighter jet but scant little for people in distress. The pounding the needy are taking is particularly severe because much of the social safety net has been shredded. Can anyone say compassion and caring?”

American Support for a Carbon Tax

August 14, 2024February 4, 2013 by SwatchJunkies

Lots of polling shows that Americans are good and ready for somebody to do something about climate change. But when it comes to specific policy measures, attitudes aren’t always so clear cut—especially if the policy solution features the word “tax.”

However, several recent surveys give insights into Americans’ current attitudes about carbon taxes. And support seems to be steady—and in some cases, quite high.

Depending on how survey questions are worded, support has been hovering around 50 percent—and nudging up to 60 percent on a good day. But support drops to below half when increases in energy costs are specified, or, surprisingly, when there’s mention of tax rebates or refunds.

Views of Roe v. Wade at 40

August 14, 2024January 22, 2013 by SwatchJunkies

What better 40th “birthday” present for Roe v. Wade than new polling data showing American support for abortion rights at an all time high.

Seemingly bucking the conventional wisdom of a few years ago, that “support for abortion rights was decreasing, especially among young people,” a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that 7 in 10 Americans believe Roe v. Wade should stand—including 57 percent who feel strongly about this. According to the Wall Street Journal, that is the highest level of support for the decision since polls began tracking it in 1989. (For reference: 60 percent said this in 2002; 66 percent said this in 2005.)

For the first time since 2003 (when the question was first asked about legal vs. illegal), a majority maintained that abortion should be legal. And about half of those who believe that abortion should be illegal don’t want to see Roe overturned.

Recent upticks are attributed to more Democrats backing the decision—particularly Hispanics, African-Americans, and women without college degrees. There’s also been a slight increase in support from Republicans. Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who conducted the poll with Democratic pollster Peter Hart, noted that controversial remarks on abortion and rape by at least two Republicans, including Senate candidates, as well as a highly charged debate over contraception, likely also shaped these changing attitudes.

Still, Americans’ views are not without their tensions and complexities. As the WSJ explains:

Weekend Reading 12/7/12

August 14, 2024December 7, 2012 by SwatchJunkies

Anna:

I was delighted by this modern-day take on the classic children’s book, Goodnight Moon. Goodnight, alpha parents, everywhere! (Yes, admittedly, it speaks to me on so many levels.)

Also from the New Yorker, a sturdy argument for a carbon tax replacing the payroll tax by Hendrik Hertzberg.

Finally, a friendly reminder (from pollsters themselves) that public opinion polling can never be a perfect measure of attitudes, in part because respondents don’t always know what their attitudes actually are! In this case, a new poll from Public Policy Polling included a bit of a trick. They found that an impressive 39 percent of Americans have an opinion about the Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan. But at the same time fully one quarter of Americans also took a stance on the Panetta-Burns plan—a phony, non-existent plan.

Eric:

Dan Savage’s excerpt from “You Were Never In Chicago,” a memoir by columnist Neil Steinberg, was so good that I want to read the whole book:

A Big Ball of Climate Confusion?

August 14, 2024November 30, 2012 by SwatchJunkies

A ball of confusion on climate solutions.

A new report on climate change attitudes is out from Yale and George Mason University. There’s good news along with worrisome trends, revealing a bunch of odd inconsistencies in our attitudes. Indeed, I see some serious confusion.

It sounds bad, but I think there’s opportunity here; majorities think something should be done about climate change, but they’re confused when it comes to what to do, how to do it, as well as who should do it. Call me overly optimistic, but I think it leaves us open to bold, confident leadership on climate solutions.

Think of it this way: We may be a ball of confusion, but we’re poised to roll. We simply need speed and momentum—in the right direction. A swift kick is just the thing, but someone has to kick.

Latino Values and Conservation in Sync in CA

August 14, 2024October 8, 2012 by SwatchJunkies

A survey of Latino voters in California, that was released Thursday, finds the same kind of deeply held conservation values that national polling among Latinos has shown. Two-thirds of California’s Latino voters identify as conservationists and the state’s Latino voters overwhelmingly believe that we can “protect the environment and create jobs at the same time.”

In fact, 90 percent of California’s Latino voters believe that the environment and jobs are not at odds, with 69 percent strongly agreeing.

Also notable, nearly all Latino voters in California support energy conservation (96 percent support, 65 percent strongly support) and renewable energy sources like solar and wind power are also extremely popular (91 percent support, 68 percent strongly support).

Swing Voters and Climate Change

August 14, 2024October 2, 2012 by SwatchJunkies

We are hearing a lot these days about a small group of Americans—the approximately 7 percent who remain undecided about which presidential candidate they’ll vote for. So what do these few—but mighty, and mightily sought after by political operatives—think about climate change?

The latest data from Yale Project on Climate Change Communication indicate that a broad majority of undecided likely voters—as well as Obama-leaning voters—know climate change is real and want the United States to do more to address it.

Clean Energy Cleans Up

August 14, 2024May 25, 2012 by SwatchJunkies

Who likes clean energy?

Maybe a better question to ask is ‘Who doesn’t?’

(Spoiler: The hold outs on this one are more likely to be older, white, well-to-do, and more conservative.)

Recent poll numbers show that when voters’ attitudes are concerned, clean energy cleans up. Healthy majorities of Americans favor a pair of congressional efforts to boost the use of abundant clean energy sources like wind. On the flip side, even bigger majorities (69 percent) oppose federal subsidies for big fossil fuel polluters, including 67 percent of registered Republicans, 80 percent of independents, and 68 percent of Democrats.

Weekend Reading 11-18-11

August 14, 2024November 18, 2011 by SwatchJunkies

Clark:

Reusable bag humor.

Graphs: It’s taking longer and longer to replace jobs after a recession.

The world’s sexiest programmable thermostat.

AHH! Maybe neutrinos CAN move faster than light.

Anna:

Here’s polling that shows—yet again—that American values differ from those of Western Europeans. Most notably, and no big surprise, at the same time we’re more religious, and more likely to think our country is superior (49% of us), we’re more individualistic and are less supportive of a strong safety net than are folks in Britain, France, Germany and Spain.

I like his novels; now I like Jonathan Franzen even better, knowing he’s a greenie. Check this Grist interview.

Here’s a valiant attempt to recast the 99 percent as middle Americans, not “animals,” “freaks,” “anarchists,” and “stinky hippies”—the side of this phenomenon that most of the mainstream media isn’t telling. (Compare this especially to this Salon writer’s account of bravely watching 2 days of Fox News coverage to see how they are portraying OWS. Spoiler: they mostly only say that the occupation is “gross.”)

+ More

Collection: Polling

Asian Americans’ Green Values

Weekend Reading 5/17/13

Alan

Anna

American Support for a Carbon Tax

Views of Roe v. Wade at 40

Weekend Reading 12/7/12

Anna:

Eric:

A Big Ball of Climate Confusion?

Latino Values and Conservation in Sync in CA

Swing Voters and Climate Change

Clean Energy Cleans Up

Weekend Reading 11-18-11

Clark:

Anna:

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