Voters Want Cheaper Energy but Don't Believe Clean Power Is Cheap, Study Finds
New York – September 16, 2026 -- A three-phase study of more than 5,000 registered U.S. voters has found that while affordability is the single most persuasive argument for clean energy, most Americans do not believe solar and wind power are actually inexpensive. The research, commissioned by Heatmap News from Embold Research and published as "Communicating about Climate and Clean Energy in an Age of Affordability," found that 55% of voters believe solar and wind are cost-competitive only because of government subsidies, and 57% say clean energy advocates exaggerate how cheap the technologies have become.