American Voters View Conservation as Patriotic, and Strengthening on the Economy; Broad Support for Current Conservation Legislation

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1 TO: FROM: The Nature Cnservancy Lri Weigel Public Opinin Strategies Dave Metz Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Assciates RE: American Vters View Cnservatin as Patritic, and Strengthening n the Ecnmy; Brad Supprt fr Current Cnservatin Legislatin DATE: July 2, 2012 A recent natinal survey f vters 1 cnducted by the bipartisan research team f Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Assciates (D) and Public Opinin Strategies (R) appraching the 4 th f July hliday indicates a new expressin f patritism cnservatin f the natin s natural resurces. Frm Tea Party Republicans t liberal Demcrats, verwhelming majrities f Americans f all plitical persuasins believe that cnserving the cuntry s natural resurces land, air and water is patritic. And while denigrating the federal gvernment has becme smething f a natinal pastime, threequarters f the U.S. electrate says that ne f the things ur gvernment des best is prtecting its histry and natural beauty thrugh natinal parks, frests and ther public lands. N wnder, then, that vters are mre than three times as likely t say they wuld prefer t g n vacatin this summer in a natinal park r ther public lands, rather than in a majr American city. But this cnservatin ethic expressed by survey respndents is nt a mmentary burst f hliday enthusiasm; rather, vters brad supprt fr cnservatin generally extends t specific plicy decisins, such as funding the Land and Water Cnservatin Fund. Mrever, three quarters (74 percent) f American vters say that even with federal budget prblems, funding fr cnservatin shuld nt be cut. Many vters even are willing t reach int their wn pckets t fund cnservatin, 1 Methdlgy: Frm June 16 19, 2012, FM3 and POS cmpleted 800 telephne interviews with registered vters natinally wh are likely t cast ballts in the 2012 electin. Interviews were cnducted n landlines and cell phnes. The margin f sampling errr fr the full sample is +/ 3.46 percent; margins f sampling errr fr subgrups within the sample will be larger. Sme percentages may sum t mre than 100 percent due t runding.

2 June 2012 Natinal Vter Survey Key Findings Page 2 with 83 percent including mre than seven in ten vters acrss the plitical spectrum willing t pay mre in taxes t fund prtectin f land, water and wildlife habitat in their area. This supprt fr cnservatin likely stems frm sme widely shared beliefs amng the electrate: that public lands cntribute t quality f life in their states; that children nt spending enugh time in nature is a serius prblem; and that prtectins fr land, water and wildlife have a psitive ecnmic impact and are nt in cnflict with the gal f having a strng ecnmy. Amng the survey s specific findings are the fllwing: On the eve f the natinal Independence Day hliday, mre than fur in five American vters say that cnserving ur cuntry's natural resurces ur land, air and water is patritic. This sentiment is ne that bridges every partisan, reginal, and demgraphic divisin. Fr example, agreement that cnservatin is patritic is high amng Demcrats (89 percent agree cnservatin is patritic), Independents (79 percent) and Republicans (79 percent), including Tea Party Republicans (79 percent); Vters wh are undecided and up fr grabs in the presidential electin (93 percent) and thse in the eight mst cntested battlegrund states (83 percent); The yungest vters under age 35 (84 percent) and vters age 65 and lder (83 percent); Urban residents (79 percent), suburbanites (85 percent) and rural residents (82 percent); Hunters (79 percent), anglers (80 percent), and bird and wildlife watchers (82 percent); Hikers (80 percent), muntain bikers (78 percent), and ATV users (77 percent); and Mre than seven in ten vters in every regin f the cuntry agree that cnservatin is patritic. Three quarters f the electrate believes that public lands are ne f the things gvernment des best. Even fcusing in n the rle f gvernment at a time f heightened cynicism abut gvernment as an institutin, vters verwhelmingly say that public lands are evidence f an area f psitive federal cntributin. Fully 77 percent agree that One f the things ur gvernment des best is t prtect and preserve ur natinal histry and natural beauty thrugh natinal parks, frests, and ther public lands, with 39 percent strngly in agreement. Only ne in five disagree with this view. Three quarters f Republicans (76 percent), nearly the same number f Demcrats (70 percent) and the vast majrity f Independents (82 percent) agree with this view. In fact, Americans express a strng preference t spend their summer vacatins n public lands such as sme f the icnic natinal parks. Three times as many vters say they wuld prefer a vacatin this summer in a natinal park r ther public lands like the Grand Canyn r Great Smky Muntains (70 percent), r a large American city like New Yrk r San Francisc (21 percent). Americans f every age and regin f the cuntry, and irrespective f whether they engage in utdr recreatin r nt, are mre likely t prefer enjying sme time ff n public lands 2. 2 Respndents were asked this questin early in the survey, prir t a mre fulsme inquiry int their views n cnservatin plicies r related issues.

3 June 2012 Natinal Vter Survey Key Findings Page 3 Vters express near unanimity that public lands are an essential part f the quality f life in their state. Fully 87 percent agree 59 percent strngly agree that ur state and natinal parks, frests mnuments, and wildlife areas are an essential part f my state s quality f life. They als cnsider children nt spending enugh time in nature as a prblem. Half f the electrate (50 percent) says that kids nt spending enugh time utdrs and in nature is an extremely r very serius prblem, climbing t 82 percent wh cnsider it t be at least a smewhat serius prblem. Vters brad supprt fr cnservatin generally extends t specific plicy decisins, such as funding the Land and Water Cnservatin Fund. Mre than fur in five American vters (82 percent) supprt ensuring that a prtin f federal ffshre drilling fees already being paid by il and gas cmpanies is dedicated t the Land and Water Cnservatin Fund, which was created by Cngress s that these fees culd be used fr cnserving natural areas, wildlife, and clean water and prviding access t utdr recreatin thrughut the cuntry. Only 13 percent f the electrate is ppsed, as shwn belw. Supprt fr Ensuring Funding fr Land and Water Cnservatin Fund Supprt fr cntinued federal investments in the Land and Water Cnservatin Fund is supprted by vters frm all majr segments f the electrate, including: 92% f Demcrats, 77% f independents, and 74% f Republicans as well as 72% f Tea Party vters; 85% f vters wh are either undecided r nt definitive in their vte decisin fr President at this time;

4 June 2012 Natinal Vter Survey Key Findings Page 4 79% f men and 84% f wmen; 81% f Latins, 82% f whites, and 86% f African Americans; 76% f hunters, 78% f anglers, and 72% f ff rad vehicle users; 83% f urban vters, 79% f suburbanites, and 83% f small twn/rural residents; and At least 75% f vters in each regin f the cuntry. Three quarters say that even with federal budget prblems, funding fr cnservatin shuld nt be cut. Fully 74 percent agree that even with federal budget prblems, funding t safeguard land, air and water shuld nt be cut, including a majrity f vters acrss the partisan spectrum and tw thirds r greater in every regin f the cuntry. Vters are willing t put their mney where their muth is; fully 83 percent are willing t pay additinal taxes t prtect American land, water and wildlife. As shwn belw, when prvided with a range f dllar amunts t pay in increased taxes, the vast majrity f vters are willing t pay sme amunt mre, including 72 percent f Tea Party Republicans, 73 percent f self described cnservatives, 88 percent f mderates, and 94 percent f self described liberals. Underlying sme f this supprt and willingness t pay is a sense that there are ecnmic benefits t cnservatin. Vters are twice as likely t say that prtectins fr land, air, water and wildlife have a psitive impact n jbs (41 percent), than a negative impact (17 percent), r little impact ne way r the ther (33 percent). Mre vters view cnservatin as having a psitive impact than a negative impact in every regin f the cuntry, including in the Western U.S. where there are significant hldings f public lands (and where 43 percent see a psitive ecnmic impact, versus just 21 percent negative). Fully 52 percent f vters wh are undecided in their vte fr President indicate that prtectins fr land, air and water are psitive fr the ecnmy as well.

5 June 2012 Natinal Vter Survey Key Findings Page 5 In fact, the verwhelming majrity f American vters rejects the ntin that prtecting ur envirnment is at dds with a strng ecnmy. While vters express a high degree f cncern abut the ecnmy (80 percent characterize it as an extremely r very serius prblem in their area), they d nt view strengthening the ecnmy as being in cnflict with cnservatin. As shwn in the next graph, mre than three quarters f vters (79%) believe we can prtect land and water and have a strng ecnmy at the same time, while nly 16 percent believe that thse cncerns are even smetimes in cnflict. Relatinship Between the Envirnment and the Ecnmy We can prtect land and water and have a strng ecnmy with gd jbs fr Americans at the same time, withut having t chse ne ver the ther. 79% Smetimes prtectins fr land and water and a strng ecnmy are in cnflict and we must chse ne ver the ther. 16% This is cnsistent with the views f vters three years ag (76% have bth; 19% smetimes in cnflict and must chse in 2009), and hlds true with virtually all demgraphic sub grups. The view that cnservatin and a strng ecnmy are cmpatible is als predminant amng the middle f the electrate which is undecided r nt definitive in their vte decisin fr President, as 84 percent f these swing vters sides with the idea that we shuld nt have t chse the ecnmy ver the envirnment. Overall, it is clear that cnservatin is an issue that unites, rather than divides, the American peple. Whether it is a general sense f patritism and pride in natinal parks, r supprt fr several very specific federal plicies, the survey finds a great deal in cmmn amng Americans regarding their views n cnservatin.