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.
Electorate splits into three distinct camps on energy trust
The study segments voters into three groups: the Persuaded (42%), who already support clean energy; Persuadables (31%), who are open to argument; and Skeptics (22%), who are resistant. Each group responds to different messages, but all three distrust institutional messengers. Only independent scientists and researchers are trusted by a majority of Persuadables on energy issues, while majorities distrust renewable energy companies, elected officials, government agencies and utilities.
"Environment" outperforms "climate" as a framing term across segments
Among Persuadables, 65% rate the environment as a very or extremely important issue, compared with just 32% who say the same about climate change. Among Skeptics, the gap widens sharply, from 32% for the environment to just 1% for climate. Voters interviewed for the study said "climate" carries partisan baggage, while "environment" connects to values they already hold.
Rooftop solar price tags distort perception of utility-scale costs
Researchers found that voters' mental model of clean energy pricing is shaped by consumer-facing purchases, such as a $50,000 rooftop solar system or an electric vehicle, rather than by utility-scale generation costs. That impression carries over to large solar and wind farms, undermining the core affordability pitch used by advocates.
Messages tested as likeable but not believable
Three candidate messages, each built for a specific voter segment, were tested against the full electorate. Roughly half of voters found each message appealing, but only about a third found it believable. Across all messages, the strongest pull was the promise of lower bills: "putting family bills ahead of utility profits" was the top draw in one message at 51%, while "lower bills for every household" led another at 44%.
"What draws voters to clean energy, more than anything else, is the promise of lower bills, and yet many don't believe that promise," said Andrea Everett, Principal Researcher at Embold Research. "Their sense of what clean energy costs was set by the price of a rooftop solar system or an electric vehicle, not by how cheap renewables have become at utility scale."
Study drew on surveys and interviews spanning eight months
Phase 1 surveyed 3,210 registered voters nationally between November 18 and December 3, 2025, with a modeled margin of error of 1.8%. Phase 2 comprised 15 in-depth interviews with voters from each segment, conducted February 13 to March 9, 2026. Phase 3 surveyed 2,161 registered voters between June 22 and 29, 2026, with a modeled margin of error of 2.2%.