Poll Finds Majority of US Voters Back Green New Deal and Want Lawmakers to Co-Sponsor Resolution

As Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders reintroduced their "Green New Deal for Public Housing," a survey published Monday affirmed that most U.S. voters support the Green New Deal and want their members of Congress to co-sponsor legislation to make the ambitious climate emergency plan a reality.

The Data for Progress survey (pdf) found that 60% of likely U.S. voters back the Green New Deal (GND), with 83% of respondents identifying as Democrats, 57% of independents, and 36% of Republicans saying they support it. Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed said they support their members of Congress co-sponsoring a GND resolution, with 81% of likely Democratic voters, 57% of independents, and one-third of Republicans in favor of such a move.

A slim majority (51%) of respondents said they are more likely to vote to reelect their congressional representatives if they co-sponsor GND legislation, while 34% said such a move would make them less likely to vote for them. Three-quarters of likely Democratic voters said GND co-sponsorship would make them likelier to vote for their lawmakers.

A majority (52%) of respondents, including 80% of those who identify as Democrats, also agree that "lawmakers should pass the Green New Deal because we need to put Americans back to work, fight climate change, address social and racial injustice, and combat air and water pollution and related diseases like asthma and lead poisoning."

The survey also found that a majority of all likely U.S. voters overwhelmingly support individual components of the GND:

In 2019, Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the first GND resolution, which called for a "national mobilization" to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030.

The measure failed to advance in the GOP-controlled Senate, however, with Democratic caucus members Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), and Angus King (I-Maine) joining all 57 Republicans to torpedo the resolution.

Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders (I-Vt.) also introduced a Green New Deal for Public Housing in 2019, although it failed to advance. On Monday, they reintroduced the measure, with Ocasio-Cortez tweeting that "investing in our housing infrastructure has never been more important."

Sanders added that "at this time of unprecedented crisis, we must move forward to boldly address the systemic and existential threats facing us today and that includes combating climate change and making sure that every American has a safe and decent place to live."

Shortly after the bill's introduction, Markey tweeted that he and Ocasio-Cortez will re-introduce GND legislation on Tuesday.