NEW POLL: Wide Margins of CA Voters See Climate Action as Solution to Affordability Challenges and Want State Leaders to do More

As a crowded field of gubernatorial candidates seek an edge with voters, voter expectations for lawmakers suggest winning campaigns must demonstrate support for wildfire prevention and affordable homeowners insurance, protecting groundwater, and providing incentives for electric vehicle ownership

SAN FRANCISCO, February 19, 2026 — As California’s Democrats gather for their state convention this weekend, a new poll reveals voters want state leaders to do more to address the affordability concerns created by climate change.

“Climate change and affordability aren’t two separate challenges. Voters of all stripes see the symptoms of climate change threatening their lives, livelihoods, and cost of living. They want California’s leaders to do more,” said Katelyn Roedner Sutter, California Senior Director at Environmental Defense Action Fund. “As President Trump digs in on failed policies fueling higher prices and the climate crisis, Californians want the state to double down on real solutions for families on a budget, the climate, and our economy.”

Key findings of the poll conducted by Global Strategy Group for EDF Action include the following.

• 71% of voters want lawmakers to do more to protect the environment as President Trump rolls back federal environmental protections, and 68% of voters want lawmakers to do more to combat climate change.
• 90% or more voters are concerned about the affordability of home insurance and electricity.
• 90% or more voters want more done to prevent wildfires, require insurance companies to provide discounts to homeowners and communities who take steps to reduce wildfire risks, prevent unfair utility rate increases, and protect groundwater supplies.
• 70% support point of sale rebates to make electric vehicles more affordable at car dealerships, a concept recently proposed by Governor Newsom, with more than two-thirds of voters supporting efforts to bolster the installation of charging stations at homes, apartments, and businesses.
• 67% of voters support the state’s preeminent climate policy — the Cap-and-Invest program that requires the state’s biggest polluters to pay for their emissions in order to support investments in energy bill rebates, clean energy, transit, and more — because they believe it cuts costs of living in California, and candidates receive a 3-point boost overall from center-right voters for supporting it.

Poll results can be found here.