This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
There are a lot of different ways to look at the population of the United States. Prior to elections, we tend to break things down by political affiliation, but our voting preferences don't merely fall neatly along party lines. Age plays a significant role in our priorities--just consider these questions from the UT Energy Poll's Fall 2015 survey:
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But millennails aren't the only age group thinking about energy policy: Sixty-five percent of all Americans say they are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who supports taking steps to reduce carbon emissions--not all that surprising given that 76 percent now say that climate change is occurring.
On top of that, 63 percent of us would be more likely to vote for someone who supports increased funding for scientific and university research into new energy technologies. And 62 percent are more likely to support a candidate who wants to require utilities to obtain a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources.
Does any of this really matter? Probably yes. Forty-five percent of Americans say energy issues will significantly influence the candidate they choose next November. In other words, presidential candidates would be wise to come up with a comprehensive energy plan focused on issues most important to voters.
