Americans Unified on Climate and Water Change, See Urgent Connections to Economy, Agriculture and Health

Ahead of World Water Day, a poll conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the Walton Family Foundation highlights pressing need to invest in climate change solutions

WASHINGTON, March 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Walton Family Foundation, in collaboration with Morning Consult, released a poll today revealing a majority of Americans agree climate change will alter important aspects of life in the U.S. like agriculture (76% total, 89% Democrats, and 61% Republicans), water resources (76% total, 90% Democrats, and 59% Republicans) and the economy (71% total, 87% Democrats, and 55% Republicans).  The poll also shows 73% of Americans are worried about climate change and water scarcity, with at least three-in-five voters saying that drought, increased temperatures, wildfires, extreme weather and flooding are a product of climate change's effect on water resources.

March 22 marks World Water Day, an annual United Nations observance that celebrates water and inspires global reflection on the importance of water in sustaining a healthy planet. 

"What we see here is that Americans understand that climate change is water change.  Droughts, floods, wildfires and big storms all make climate change very real for people, and voters are united in their call for solutions," said Moira Mcdonald, Environment Program Director of the Walton Family Foundation. "We should be hopeful that, despite divisions in our country, Americans want to come together to protect water, communities and nature. This is a time for bold leadership."

Notably, Black and Hispanic voters expressed more concern about climate change's impacts on the economy (84% Black, 81% Hispanic, 68% White), health (88% Black, 78% Hispanic, 67% White), and issues around equality (69% Black voters,  62% Hispanic voters, 44% White).

"These numbers show us that we not only need to do more on climate change, but we also need to be more inclusive in our approaches," said Mcdonald. "This is yet another wake-up call that at every level of this work, from grassroots environmental organizations to elected leaders, we need to make sure the solutions we are presenting fully include the experiences of people who are closest to the impacts."

One-quarter of American voters believe their state will not have enough water during their grandchildren's lifetimes (the next 100 years). The numbers are even higher in western states -    55% in Colorado said their state would not have enough water in the next 100 years and 53% said the same in Arizona.

"It's shocking that a quarter of all Americans – and more than half of the residents in Arizona and Colorado – don't think there will be enough water in their home states for their grandchildren to live out their lives," said Mcdonald. "The Colorado River Basin is living through a historic drought fueled by climate change and this poll shows there is urgency and unity among all voters to meet these challenges head on."

Other key findings from the poll include:

• 74% of voters agree that political parties should find more common ground on addressing climate change (87% of Democrats, 74% of independents, and 60% of Republicans).
  
  
• 73% of voters agree that there is still time to address climate change (79% of Democrats, 70% of independents, and 70% of Republicans).
  
  
• People of color and younger people feel the most urgency on these issues:
  
  
• Black and Hispanic voters agree that climate change is having a massive impact on their community.
• 68% Black
• 58% Hispanic
• 43% White
• And that climate change is having devastating effects on the world's water resources.
• 77% Black
• 74% Hispanic
• 65% White
• 66% of younger voters (18-34) agreed that climate change is the most important issue facing the world today while only 45% of seniors (65+) agreed.

To read the full poll results, visit www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/worldwaterday.

Polling Methodology:
The national poll was conducted between March 4-March 6, 2022 among a sample of 2005 Registered Voters across the United States. The interviews were conducted online, and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Registered Voters based on gender by age, educational attainment, race, marital status, homeownership, race by educational attainment, 2020 presidential vote, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

The state-level polls were conducted between March 4-March 8, 2022, among a sample of 298 Registered Voters in Arizona and a sample of 300 Registered voters in Colorado. The interviews were conducted online, and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Registered Voters based on gender, age, education, race, ethnicity, marital status, homeownership, and 2020 vote choice. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 6 percentage points.

About the Walton Family Foundation
The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses, work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving K-12 education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SOURCE Walton Family Foundation