Less Than Half Are Willing To Pay More For Electricity From Renewable Sources

July 24, 2025 - SAN FRANCISCO - A solid majority of Californians say they are very concerned that home insurance will become more expensive due to climate-related risks, and a similar share is very concerned about the state’s residents being unable to obtain home insurance at all due to these risks. Four in ten Californians say they are willing to pay more for electricity from renewable sources in order to help reduce climate change, a notable decline from nine years ago (56% July 2016). A solid majority say that the federal government is not doing enough to address climate change. These are among the key findings from a statewide survey released on Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California.

Full Survey Report

Sixty percent of Californians are very concerned that home insurance will become more expensive due to risks related to climate change, while another 27 percent are somewhat concerned. The 60 percent expressing a high level of concern about costs is up from 47 percent a year ago. More than half of residents across regions are very concerned (65% Los Angeles, 62% Inland Empire, 60% San Francisco Bay Area, 57% Orange/San Diego, and 55% Central Valley).

Asked about residents not being able to obtain home insurance due to climate-change risks, 57 percent of Californians say they are very concerned and another 31 percent say they are somewhat concerned. More than half across regions are very concerned about access to home insurance (61% Inland Empire, 59% Los Angeles, 58% San Francisco Bay Area, 52% Orange/San Diego, and 51% Central Valley).

“Six in ten Californians say they are very concerned that home insurance will become more expensive and that Californians will be unable to obtain home insurance due to climate-change risks,” said Mark Baldassare, PPIC Statewide Survey director and Miller Chair in Public Policy.

The new statewide survey also finds:

• Less than half are willing to pay more for electricity from renewable sources. A solid majority (62%) favor the state law that requires 100 percent of California’s electricity to come from renewable sources by the year 2045. Asked about paying more for electricity generated by renewable sources like solar or wind energy, 40 percent of Californians say they would be willing to do so, while 59 percent say they would not be willing.

  “While six in ten favor the state’s overall transition to renewable sources of electricity, less than half of Californians say they would be willing to pay more for electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind,” Baldassare said.

• Most think the federal government is not doing enough to address climate change and favor the state making its own climate policies. Asked about the federal government’s efforts to address climate change, a solid majority of Californians (60%) say it is not doing enough; 26 percent say the federal government is doing just enough on climate and 11 percent say more than enough. Views vary widely across party lines, with 86 percent of Democrats, 61 percent of independents, and 18 percent of Republicans saying the federal government is not doing enough to address climate change.

  Nearly two in three Californians (64%) favor the state government making its own policies, separate from the federal government, to address climate change. Here, too, views are split along party lines, with 91 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of independents, and 23 percent of Republicans approving of the state making its own policies on climate change.

  “Majorities believe that the federal government is not doing enough to address global climate change and favor the state government making its own policies on climate change,” Baldassare said.
  
  
  

• When it comes to the handling of environmental issues, more Californians approve of state policymakers than federal policymakers. Fifty-three percent of Californians—and the same share of likely voters—approve of how Governor Newsom is handling environmental issues in the state. This is similar to the share of adults approving of Newsom’s handling of the environment one year ago (52%). Forty-seven percent (51% of likely voters) approve of how the California Legislature is handling environmental issues in the state, similar to a year ago (49%). Californians’ views on Newsom’s and the legislature’s handling of environmental issues both vary widely across party lines.

  Asked about how President Trump is handling environmental issues in the US, 27 percent of California adults and 32 percent of likely voters approve. Twenty-two percent of adults and 24 percent of likely voters approve of how the US Congress is handling the nation’s environmental issues. As with views of state policymakers, Californians’ views on how federal leaders are handling these issues vary across party lines.

  “About half approve of Governor Newsom and the California Legislature, while about one in four approve of President Trump and the US Congress when it comes to their handling of environmental issues,” Baldassare said.

• Strong majorities approve of allowing wind power and wave energy projects off the coast, while far less than half support more oil drilling there. Seventy-five percent of Californians are in favor of allowing wind power and wave energy projects off the state’s coast. This includes two in three or more across all regions (81% San Francisco Bay Area, 77% Inland Empire, 77% Los Angeles, 71% Orange/San Diego, and 67% Central Valley).

  Around one-third (34%) approve of allowing more oil drilling off the coast. Across regions, 44 percent in the Inland Empire, 40 percent in the Central Valley, 37 percent in Orange/San Diego, 28 percent in Los Angeles, and 26 percent in the San Francisco Bay Area approve.

  “Seven in ten Californians favor allowing wind power and wave energy projects off the California coast, while about one in three are in favor of more oil drilling off the California coast,” Baldassare said.

About the Survey

The Californians and the Environment survey is supported with funding from the Arjay R. and Frances F. Miller Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Windy Hill Fund, and the PPIC Donor Circle.

The findings are based on responses from 1,736 California adult residents. The sampling error is ±3.2 percent at the 95 percent confidence level for the total unweighted sample and ±3.9 percent for the 1,165 likely voters. Interviewing took place from July 1–7, 2025. For more information, please see the methodology section in the full survey report.

Mark Baldassare is statewide survey director at PPIC, where he holds the Arjay and Frances Fearing Miller Chair in Public Policy. He is founder of the PPIC Statewide Survey, which he has directed since 1998.

The Public Policy Institute of California is dedicated to informing and improving public policy in California through independent, objective, nonpartisan research. We are a public charity. We do not take or support positions on any ballot measure or on any local, state, or federal legislation, nor do we endorse, support, or oppose any political parties or candidates for public office. Research publications reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of our funders or of the staff, officers, advisory councils, or board of directors of the Public Policy Institute of California.
Source: PPIC