Analyzing a survey they conducted in 2011, researchers at Harvard and Yale found that the average United States citizen was willing to pay $162 a year more to support a national policy requiring 80 percent clean energy by 2035. Nationwide, that would represent a 13 percent increase in electric bills. That support dropped off when the definition of “clean energy“ was expanded to include natural gas or nuclear power.
The researchers found that people’s willingness to pay varies significantly by congressional district.
However, the researchers found the current level of support insufficient to overcome entrenched positions in Congress. And that annual clean energy cost would have to drop below $59, an increase of less than 5 percent, to pass the current Senate, and below $48 a year to pass the current House.
To access the survey, click here