The results of a new poll released on June 28 found that almost three-fifths of Americans – 59 percent – oppose the Biden administration's plan to phase out gas-powered cars in favor of electric vehicles (EVs).
The Pew Research Center polled more than 10,000 Americans from May 30 to June 4 of this year. It stated that overall, 59 percent of those surveyed do not want gas-powered cars to be eliminated by 2035. In contrast, 40 percent said they favor a phaseout of gas-powered vehicles in favor of EVs.
Only 21 percent of respondents say they would be excited by the prospect of gas-powered vehicles. Forty-five percent – more than twice the number of those excited – say they would be upset, while 33 percent said their feelings would be neutral.
The opposition to the phaseout of gasoline-powered vehicles was more pronounced along party lines. An overwhelming 84 percent of conservative respondents oppose the move, compared to the 16 percent who favored a phaseout. Sixty-four percent of liberal respondents favor a phaseout, while only 35 percent are against it.
There was also a clear divide among respondents based on age. Fifty-six percent of respondents aged between 18 and 29 support ending the production of new gas-powered cars. However, respondents aged 30 and up are against banning new gas-powered cars in favor of EVs.
"While the Biden administration has attempted to develop EV infrastructure, Americans have limited confidence that the country will build a network of charging stations to support these vehicles. Legislation passed during the Biden administration set aside $5 billion to build a network of charging stations. Many EV drivers find the current public charging system difficult," Pew said.
The center added that back in April, the Biden administration proposed new emission limits for automakers that would dramatically reduce the number of gasoline-powered cars and trucks automakers could sell. Several state governments have also pushed laws to force the adoption of EVs, with California and New York taking the lead. Under these laws, all new vehicles sold in these states must be zero-emissions by the year 2035.
Less than half of respondents view Biden admin climate policies favorably
Myron Ebell, director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Competitive Enterprise Institute, blasted the White House for its use of the executive branch's muscle to force people toward EVs.
"The Biden administration is trying to bend every federal rule they can find to force people into buying EVs," he said in April. "There is still a market that allows drivers to buy the vehicles of their choice, but government coercion is rapidly limiting those choices."
The Pew poll also found that 50 percent – half of U.S. adults surveyed – espouse a less favorable view of the White House's climate policies, remarking that the country is headed in the wrong direction. Only 45 percent agree that these climate policies are good for the country.
This clear divide was also emphasized along party lines. An overwhelming 82 percent of Republican respondents believe Biden's climate mandates are bad for the nation, compared to the 15 percent of GOP respondents who believe otherwise. On the other side of the fence, 76 percent of Democrats believe the president is doing the right thing with his climate policies – compared to 21 percent who believe otherwise.
Despite these, the Pew survey found that many Americans still support the U.S.'s involvement in climate change efforts internationally. Seventy-four percent of overall respondents say they back America's leading efforts to address the issue, with 54 percent of GOP-leaning and an overwhelming 94 percent of Democratic-leaning respondents also with that opinion. Given these results, it seems that many are still unaware of the fact that "fighting climate change" is but a subtle method to take away people's freedoms bit by bit.
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