America’s Climate Divide
If you are wondering why car dealerships across the country are overflowing with electric vehicles no one wants, a new poll conducted for the Committee to Unleash Prosperity offers a compelling explanation.
In a report titled “Them vs. U.S.: The Two Americas and How the Nation’s Elite Is Out of Touch with Average Americans,” the Committee to Unleash Prosperity identified a specific wealthy subset of “elite” Americans and then compared their views on a number of public policy issues with those of the rest of America.
For the purposes of their study, the “elite” were defined as anyone living in a household making more than $150,000, that also had at least one person with a postgraduate degree, and lived in a “high population density area” defined as any zip code with more than 10,000 people per square mile. Just 1% of America’s population fits this definition.
The first thing that stands out about this wealthy urban elite is how overwhelmingly Democratic they are. Seventy-three percent of this top 1% consider themselves Democrats compared to just 14% who said they were Republicans.
Compared to the rest of the population, this elite feels like they are thriving in President Joe Biden’s economy. Seventy-four percent said their personal finances were getting better, 16% said they were staying the same, while none said their finances were getting worse.
Compare those numbers to the general voting population, where just 20% said their finances were getting better, 40% said they were staying the same, and another 40% said their finances were getting worse.
Considering the financial gulf between the elite and the rest of America, it is not terribly surprising that when asked if they would be willing to pay $500 or more in taxes to reduce climate change, a whopping 70% of elites said yes compared to just 28% of the general public.
Elites are also far more likely to say they support the rationing of gas, meat, and electricity in the name of climate change prevention. Seventy-seven percent of elites support the “strict” rationing of gas, meat, and electricity to fight climate change, compared to just 28% of the general public. I’m guessing the elite have never had to limit their consumption of anything so they have no idea how much rationing could disrupt their lives.
There were other issues where the elite diverged from the rest of America. On education, for example, 67% of elites said education professionals should decide what students are taught, not parents, while just 38% of the general public agreed. But no issue was more divisive than climate change.
Well, no issue that was included in the poll. It doesn’t appear any questions were asked about immigration. I hope someone explores the divide between elites and the general public on immigration soon.