A new poll on the environment from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute is surprising even to environmentalists. According to a survey of one thousand registered voters completed earlier this month, 64% ranked the environment as a more important issue than economic growth.
Jennifer Walling is director of the Illinois Environmental Council.
"I have not seen a poll that is so strongly prioritized environmental protection, so that is very interesting."
Walling says most of the poll's other results mirror what she's seen in other credible surveys. Such as, a majority of those polled believe humans are causing global warming. Conservatives and older voters were more likely to disagree with that statement. But the Institute's pollsters spotted a trend indicating a more environmental Republican Party in the future.
