With the 2024 election looking more and more like a 2020 rematch, it’s imperative that our leaders pay attention to a growing voting bloc: young voters in rural areas.
In 2020, young, climate-minded voters, many hailing from major cities and big college campuses, turned the election for President Joe Biden. Moreover, their electoral power has only grown in the past four years. In fact, millennials and Gen Z voters will be the majority of eligible voters by 2028. It’s no secret that these voters typically trend liberal and progressive.
Perhaps more interestingly, though, some young conservative voters haven’t made up their minds yet. Especially in rural areas, these voters may be the key to a candidate’s success, and they’ll certainly be instrumental in any effective action on clean energy. While unmoved by flashy climate protests that often take place in major cities, young rural conservatives still care about the environment and want realistic solutions that fit the unique needs of their communities.
Even more than that, they want their leaders to listen.
Yet, recent polling from my organization and Echelon Insights demonstrates that these young rural conservatives feel disenfranchised and unheard by the powers that be. In fact, only 39% of these voters feel as though their elected leaders listen to them on energy and environmental issues. With this in mind, it is more important than ever for candidates in rural areas to work to understand their potential constituents and what they support.
Notably, young rural conservatives are firmly in favor of moves toward clean energy development in their communities. Not only do they find this action important to promote American energy independence, but also to address climate-related challenges like greenhouse gas emissions. In simpler terms, these voters want a climate plan that’s good for the economy and the environment.
After all, clean energy is a real economic opportunity for rural areas. A more diverse energy portfolio results in lower costs, increased reliability, and more jobs for the community. More than 75% of young conservatives, for instance, support expanding clean energy access to consumers in rural areas.
A recent report from E2 shows just how big this opportunity is. Since 2022, more than $20 billion of clean energy investment has flooded into rural areas. More than 67,000 jobs – 21,000 permanent, have been created to build and maintain rural clean energy projects. Young conservatives with technical training in rural areas will quite literally fuel our clean energy future. This makes their buy-in absolutely essential.
The future of American energy must be affordable, reliable, and yes – clean. This sentiment cannot be contained to only our major city centers. America’s rural communities must be included in our clean energy transition and heard by elected leaders. In a crucial election year, voters are demanding it.
By championing clean energy and realistic steps to reduce emissions, candidates for elected office can not only help rural communities thrive but can also win over new voting blocs.
Chris Barnard is the president of the American Conservation Coalition (ACC). Follow him on X @ChrisBarnardDL.
Methodology
Echelon Insights conducted a survey on behalf of the American Conservation Coalition to understand the opinions of young conservatives. This survey was conducted online from January 12–16, 2024, among a sample of 1,045 18–35-year-old conservative self-identified registered voters, with a base sample of 18–35-year-old conservative registered voters nationwide and an additional oversample of 210 18–35-year-old conservative registered voters in rural areas for a total of 505 in rural areas in the sample. The survey was conducted using non-probability sampling. More information on the poll and its methodology.
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