Granite staters weigh in on renewable energy versus drilling: Environmental quality of life ranks high across party lines

Since the fall of 2001, the Granite State Poll has been conducting telephone interviews with random samples of New Hampshire residents about four times each year. State and national political topics, such as how people view candidates or elected officials, have been staples of this poll. During campaign seasons, the poll draws national attention in forecasting election results. During quieter times, it asks many nonpolitical questions as well. Trained personnel at the University of New Hampshire Survey Center conduct the 10to 15-minute interviews. Starting in 2010, the Granite State Poll began regularly including environmental topics among its mix of survey questions. For example, almost 80 percent of New Hampshire residents say that they understand a moderate amount or a great deal about the issue of global warming or climate change.1 This unexpectedly high percentage led researchers to design other questions that test actual knowledge. Knowledge, it turns out, often lags behind selfassessed “understanding.” For example, although nearly 80 percent believe they understand climate change issues, only 56 percent can correctly identify the meaning of “greenhouse effect” from a list of three choices. Success rates are lower on some other basic questions. Political beliefs often filter what knowledge people choose to acquire.2 In 2012, the environmental questions expanded to include non-climate topics, in connection with a new five-year project on Ecosystems and Society under the New Hampshire Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).3 Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the project links an innovative team of researchers from universities and colleges around the state to make advances and build capacity for education, research, and economic development. The research focuses on better understanding how changing climate and land use affect services provided by New Hampshire ecosystems, services Key Findings