Young Voters Like Pro-Environment Candidates, But Will They Vote?

"WASHINGTON –- Young voters are much more likely than senior citizens to say they'll vote for candidates who support cutting greenhouse gas emissions and boosting renewable energy, according to a poll released Tuesday by the University of Texas at Austin.

Sixty-eight percent of people under age 35 said they were more likely to vote for a political candidate who backs measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while half of respondents over age 65 said the same. More than 60 percent of the younger cohort said they wanted a candidate to expand incentives for renewable energy and wanted them to endorse policies requiring utilities to draw a certain percentage of power from renewables. Among voters over age 65, only 48 percent said they were more likely to vote for a candidate based on those two statements.

The poll surveyed 2,105 U.S. residents between Sept. 4 and Sept. 16. Forty-six percent of respondents overall said candidates' positions on energy policy are a major factor for them in deciding on a candidate."

Kate Sheppard reports for the Huffington Post October 28, 2014.

SEE ALSO:

"Millennials Could Make a Difference on Climate, If They Voted" (Grist)

Source: Huffington Post, 10/29/2014