America’s Energy Divide: How Democrats And Republicans Feel

Energy and climate issues have long been a point of division in American politics, with Democrats generally believing in investing in renewable energy sources while Republicans are more supportive of expanding energy production more broadly, including the use of fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

This visualization, via Visual Capitalist’s Kayla Zhu, shows the portion of Democrat (and Democrat-leaning) and Republican (and Republican-leaning) U.S. adults who favor expanding various energy sources in the United States.

The figures come from a Pew Research Center survey of over 8,500 U.S. adults conducted in May 2024.

Which Energy Sources Do Democrats and Republicans Support?

Nuclear energy has the smallest partisan gap out of any energy source (18 percentage points). Around two-thirds of Republicans support expanding nuclear energy compared to roughly half of Democrats.

In total, 56% of U.S. adults surveyed are supportive of expanding nuclear power in America.

Democrats are far more supportive of expanding renewable energy sources like solar and wind compared to Republicans, while Republicans are more supportive of fossil fuels like oil and coal.

Coal mining has the greatest partisan gap at 48 percentage points, with only 16% of Democrats favoring coal expansion compared to 64% of Republicans.

2024 U.S. Presidential Candidates’ Energy Policies

This energy divide is reflected in the 2024 presidential candidates’ positions on energy policy, which largely fall along party lines.

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump has vowed to issue rapid approvals for nuclear power plants, while focusing on energy independence and stopping energy-based inflation through increased fossil fuel use.

Democrat candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris has historically been a strong supporter of transitioning to clean energy and was a early co-sponsor of the Green New Deal when she was a senator.

Energy isn’t the only topic Democrats and Republicans are divided on. Check out this graphic to see how the two parties feel about industries like mining, oil and gas, higher education, news media, and more.