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Third Way, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, & GreenLatinos Polling:<\/strong> <\/p>\n Key Takeaways<\/strong> From September 30 to October 13, 2021, Third Way, WE ACT, GreenLatinos, and GBAO conducted a quantitative survey among 1,809 Black and Latino\/a\/x voters in Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Florida, and Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n Our research provides a stark warning to policymakers, advocates, and communicators that Black and Latino\/a\/x communities deserve better engagement on issues related to climate change. However, there are opportunities for improvement, and our toplines and recommendations offer a glimmer of hope.<\/p>\n Here is what we found:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Download the GBAO Presentation<\/a> (PDF)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Black and Latino\/a\/x communities feel the impact of climate change firsthand, but overall, <\/strong>say the economy and job growth demand more urgent attention when asked about their\u00a0<\/strong>top issue priorities.<\/strong><\/p>\n When it comes to prioritization for the Biden Administration, for the Black and Latino\/a\/x communities we surveyed, tackling climate change (6%) and investing in our crumbling infrastructure (5%) were low-ranking concerns compared to other issues such as \u201cimproving our economy and creating jobs\u201d (23%) and \u201chandling the coronavirus\u201d (16%), among five other specific issues.<\/p>\n In the context of a pandemic and an economic upheaval that has disproportionately [2] impacted Black and Latino\/a\/x communities, sentiments reflecting respondents\u2019 prioritization of more pressing concerns are not surprising, particularly when climate messaging remains vague and disconnected from everyday life.<\/p>\n Respondents held an overall 60% favorable perception of the environmental justice movement,\u00a0which is grounded in the understanding that the inequitable distribution of environmental\u00a0hazards is inextricably linked to racial and economic discrimination.<\/p>\n The overwhelming majority of our respondents (64%) have personal experience with the\u00a0impacts of climate change while 69% believe climate change impacts all communities equally.\u00a0The perception of climate change as an issue that must be universally addressed rather than a\u00a0localized problem likely contributes to low mobilization from Black and Latino\/a\/x communities,\u00a0where more prominent matters concentrate attention away from climate.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Policymakers, advocates, and communicators need to do a better job engaging with\u00a0<\/strong>Black and Latino\/a\/x communities on how the clean energy transition will positively\u00a0<\/strong>impact their communities.<\/strong><\/p>\n While tackling climate change ranked lower compared to other concerns, Black (66%) and\u00a0Latino\/a\/x (55%) communities do <\/em>consider climate change a present-day issue rather than a remote problem only facing future generations. This builds upon existing research [3] that highlights the rising concerns these communities have around climate change.<\/p>\n When it comes to addressing the problem, Black and Brown communities recognize the impact\u00a0that climate solutions like a clean energy transition will have on their daily lives. Across both of\u00a0the groups surveyed, the most persuasive statements in building support for climate action\u00a0focused on broad job growth (81%), clean energy sector jobs (72%), and affordability (78%).<\/p>\n The following statements were most successful:<\/p>\n \u201cInvestments in clean infrastructure will lead to safer roads, less traffic, and more\u00a0pollution-free public transit. And building new mass transit like trains and buses can help\u00a0people get to work more easily <\/strong>and affordably.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf we address climate change the right way, with the right policies, we can create millions\u00a0<\/strong>of good-paying jobs <\/strong>in infrastructure, manufacturing, and transportation that will help\u00a0underserved communities.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don’t need to choose between improving the economy and tackling climate change.\u00a0Right now, there are over three million Americans working in clean energy <\/strong>\u2013 more than\u00a0three times the number working in fossil fuels. Investing more in new technology can reduce <\/strong>nergy bills <\/strong>and create new, good-paying manufacturing jobs<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to economic benefits, Black and Latino\/a\/x respondents appreciate the impact of\u00a0climate solutions in securing a safe environment for future generations. Results indicated that\u00a0the broad majority of Black (89%) and Latino\/a\/x (87%) respondents cited protecting future\u00a0generations as a compelling reason to spur climate action:<\/p>\n \u201cWe don’t own the planet, we borrow it. We need to take better care of our environment and\u00a0address climate change, so we can leave it clean <\/strong>and healthy <\/strong>for our children,\u00a0<\/strong>grandchildren, and generations to come<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Within Black and Brown communities, a strong sense of community and focus on altruism for the benefit of future generations is common [4][5] and are likely contributing factors to our survey results.<\/p>\n Even amid a global pandemic, respondents felt that the Biden Administration could tackle both\u00a0climate change and a robust public health response, with a majority of respondents (59%)\u00a0disagreeing with this statement:<\/p>\n \u201cRight now we’re in the middle of a global pandemic that is ending lives, costing people jobs,\u00a0and disproportionately affecting Black and Brown communities. This is not the time to take\u00a0<\/strong>action on something like climate change that is a long way off.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n The fact that the Black and Latino\/a\/x Americans we surveyed did not draw a strong connection\u00a0between top priority issues \u2013 job creation, for example \u2013 and issues of infrastructure investment\u00a0and climate change speaks to a larger issue with communication. Policymakers, advocates, and\u00a0communicators have done a poor job demonstrating how interwoven these issues really are,\u00a0especially within Black and Brown communities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To better engage with Black and Latino\/a\/x communities’ on climate policy and the\u00a0<\/strong>benefits of a clean energy transition change, it\u2019s important for policymakers, advocates,\u00a0<\/strong>and communicators to localize climate messaging to reflect various community\u00a0<\/strong>priorities.<\/strong><\/p>\n Mainstream climate conversations seldom include the voices of the Black and Latino\/a\/x climate\u00a0community. This exclusion creates a false narrative that paints Black and Brown communities as\u00a0apathetic about climate change and its consequences. However, our research highlights the\u00a0opposite \u2013 a vast majority of both Black (64%) and Latino\/a\/x (65%) respondents stated that they have personally experienced the effects of climate change.<\/p>\n This makes sense given what we know about both recent and historic natural disasters that have disproportionately affected Black and Latino\/a\/x communities. In our research we saw that events such as these have made messaging around climate policy all the more impactful and ultimately personal. For example, in Texas, a surprise polar vortex burst pipes and cut power for millions, hitting low-income communities of color the hardest [6] due to poorly maintained infrastructure. Meanwhile, in Florida [7] and Georgia [8] inadequately prepared areas face elevated flood risks as hurricanes and tropical storms grow in intensity. Power plants across Pennsylvania have disproportionately exposed underserved neighborhoods to polluted air quality. [9][10]<\/p>\n Black and Latino\/a\/x audiences respond well to messaging that focuses on the need for\u00a0immediate climate action; an overwhelming majority (79%) found science-based urgency\u00a0compelling rationale for action on climate change:<\/p>\n \u201cThe world is experiencing the warmest decade in history, with the temperatures in\u00a0Antarctica getting close to seventy degrees. Scientists agree we only have about twelve\u00a0years to act on climate change before the effects will be permanent.\u201d<\/p>\n This suggests an urgency and desire in these communities to act now and continue to act.\u00a0Our findings highlight the importance of strategic and localized messaging when engaging with\u00a0Black and Latino\/a\/x communities. Questions with similar themes, yet different wording,\u00a0produced very different sentiments from respondents. For example, while only 23% of Latino\/a\/x\u00a0respondents thought climate change affected Black and Brown communities disproportionately,\u00a074% found this statement convincing:<\/p>\n \u201cClimate change affects American Latinos because of where we live and work. States like\u00a0Florida, Texas, and California have experienced drought, fires, heat waves, and flooding.\u00a0And Latinos are even more likely to work in jobs that feel the effects of climate change, like\u00a0agriculture, manufacturing, and construction.\u201d<\/p>\n Communities of color continue to be most vulnerable to climate change due to racist practices\u00a0such as redlining, residential segregation, and systemic disinvestment that leave them less\u00a0equipped to absorb the shocks of climate change. These findings identify a unique opportunity\u00a0for policymakers, advocates, and communicators to frame the climate change conversation to\u00a0better engage with Black and Brown communities in conveying how climate action, like a clean\u00a0energy transition, will positively impact their communities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong> Results from our survey showcase how more localized messaging, centered on personal\u00a0experience and economic impacts, can elicit a greater sense of urgency from voters in pushing\u00a0for climate and clean energy policies. Additionally, messaging focused on shared responsibility\u00a0for protecting the planet for ourselves and future generations resonated exceptionally well\u00a0across Black and Latino\/a\/x communities.<\/p>\n As we move towards just and durable climate policy, policymakers must use specific, relatable\u00a0language to speak directly to Black and Brown communities\u2019 lived experiences of climate\u00a0change while also demonstrating that a clean energy transition holds concrete benefits for their\u00a0communities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1 – Third Way, along with GBAO Strategies, held nine focus groups<\/a> in 2020 across Detroit, Michigan, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Greensboro, North Carolina, to examine sentiment and attitudes around climate change and federal climate policies in Black communities in those cities. We found that while climate wasn\u2019t a top priority for these communities, it was increasingly becoming a concern as it related to other top issues like the economy, clean air, and health. However, the respondents in our groups in 2020, felt that policymakers were not doing a good job of engaging with their communities about climate change and the policies to address the problem.<\/p>\n 2 – Artiga, S., Hill, L., & Haldar, S. COVID-19 Cases and Deaths by Race\/Ethnicity: Current Data and Changes Over Time. Kaiser Family Foundation<\/em>. 08 Oct 2021, https:\/\/www.kff.org\/racial-equity-and-health-policy\/issue-brief\/covid-19-cases-and-deaths-by-race-ethnicity-current-data-and-changes-over-time<\/a>.<\/p>\n 3 – Ballew, M., Maibach, E., Kotcher, J., Bergquist, P., Rosenthal, S., Marlon, J., and Leiserowitz, A. (2020). Which racial\/ethnic groups care most about climate change?. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.<\/p>\n 4 – Averett, Nancy. \u201cSocial Capital in Black Communities Is Often Overlooked\u201d Scientific American. 1 Oct 2021, https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/social-capital-in-black-communities-is-often-overlooked<\/a>.<\/p>\n 5 – Pearson, Adam R., et al. “Race, class, gender and climate change communication.” Oxford research encyclopedia of climate science. 2017, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/acrefore\/9780190228620.013.412<\/a>.<\/p>\n 6 – Dobbins, James, and Hiroko Tabuchi. \u201cTexas Blackouts Hit Minority Neighborhoods Especially Hard.\u201d The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Feb. 2021, https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/16\/climate\/texas-blackout-storm-minorities.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n 7 – Flavelle, Christopher, et al. \u201cNew Data Reveals Hidden Flood Risk Across America.\u201d The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 June 2020, https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2020\/06\/29\/climate\/hidden-flood-risk-maps.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n 8 – Binita, K. C., J. Marshall Shepherd, and Cassandra Johnson Gaither. “Climate change vulnerability assessment in Georgia.” Applied Geography 62 (2015): 62-74.<\/p>\n 9 – Cornelius, Jayla. \u201cThe Racist Placement of Power Plants in Pennsylvania: A Mechanism Used to Further Harm Communities of Color\u201d. Climate Xchange. 20 July 2020,\u00a0https:\/\/climate-xchange.org\/2020\/07\/20\/the-racist-placement-of-power-plants-in-pennsylvania<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nBlack and Latino\/x Communities\u2019 Sentiment on Climate Change and the Clean Energy Transition<\/p>\n
\nIn partnership with GBAO<\/a>, Third Way<\/a> teamed up with WE ACT for Environmental Justice and GreenLatinos<\/a> in the fall of 2021 to examine how Black and Brown communities are thinking about climate change [1] and the policies that have passed and being proposed to address it, such as the transformative infrastructure and jobs package put forth by President Biden and Congressional Democrats. Amid a flurry of other crises \u2014 the COVID-19 pandemic, an uneven economy, and the erosion of voting rights \u2014 Black and Brown communities continue to exist on multiple frontlines, and through our research, we seek to unravel how these complex issues influence perceptions of climate change.<\/p>\n\n
\nBlack and Latino\/a\/x voters are living on the frontlines of a changing climate, and our research\u00a0shows that they continue to personally feel its impacts, but more immediate concerns often have\u00a0greater salience. This presents an opportunity for policymakers, advocates, and communicators\u00a0to better understand how to more thoughtfully engage with Black and Brown community\u00a0members.<\/p>\n