Debunking Environmental Myths
MYTH #5: Concern about Environmental Issues is limited to White Collar, Well-Educated Voters |
| TRUTH: Clean air and clean water are important to a vast majority of voters—period. Young and old, well-educated and uneducated, white, African-American, and Hispanic, white collar and blue collar—voters of all socio-economic backgrounds are concerned about the quality of their air and water and prefer candidates who vow to protect the environment. |
"Clean water and clean air are seen as critical health issues to all segments of the American electorate. Our research shows that regardless of their age, gender, race, income or educational attainment, voters consider protecting air, land and water a primary factor in how they vote." --John Fairbank, Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Assoc.
In Pennsylvania, this concern reaches across all groups—the environment is not an important issue among just young and affluent voters. In fact, in Pennsylvania, although voters of all ages are concerned about clean air and water, older voters are more concerned about the issue than are younger voters. Blue-collar workers are nearly as concerned about the environment as are white-collar workers.
A solid majority of Marylanders are very concerned (rating of 8 to 10 on a 10-point scale) about clean air and water (66 percent) and the environment (61 percent). This concern reaches across all groups; however, women, blacks, and urban dwellers are somewhat more concerned about these issues than are other voters.
"Contrary to popular belief, the environment is not an important issue just among young and affluent voters. In fact, voters of lower socio-economic status are often the people who directly face the consequences of environmental degradation, so their strong support for stronger environmental protection is not surprising." --Fred Yang, Garin-Hart-Yang
