The clean energy transition offers various opportunities, but it also catalyzes challenges for many communities. This joint report by BW Research Partnership and the Climate Equity Initiative, sponsored by the Clean Air Task Force (CATF), explored how environmental justice communities experience and view climate equity issues. The report examines perspectives on community environmental issues across socioeconomic groups, with a focus on access to clean water, severe weather events, and air quality. The research also measures the awareness of clean energy technologies within these communities.
Through an iterative process, BW Research worked closely with CATF to develop a survey instrument that met all the research objectives of the study, including
overcoming known biases and minimizing potential sources of measurement error
within the survey. In total, the research effort resulted in 3,012 survey responses, and included quotas to maintain a representative sample by race and age cohort of the resident population. The survey was offered in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese.
Key findings from this research include:
- 2 in 5 survey respondents indicated general concern about environmental issues in their community.
- Concerns varied across demographics. For example, compared to the overall average, Hispanic/Latino communities were more concerned about air quality, severe weather events, and access to quality water. Native Hawaiians were most concerned about access to high-quality water.
- 66% of survey respondents indicated interest in a career in renewable energy, energy efficiency, or electric vehicles.
Download the full report to explore the survey framework and key insights regarding environmental jsutice communities in the U.S. and their perspectives towards environmental issues.
