Trump Denies Climate Change, But Majority Of Americans Favor Environmental Laws

President-elect Donald Trump has denied climate change exists, but the majority of Americans say environmental regulations are worth the cost, a recent Pew Research Center survey found.

Fifty-nine percent of Americans say stronger environmental laws and regulations are worth it, compared to 34 percent who say they cost too many jobs and hurt the economy.

Among Democrats and Republicans

The issue is strongly divided when it comes to political parties. About eight-in-10 Democrats and Democratic leaners (78%) say environmental laws are worth the cost. When it comes to Republicans, 58 percent say the laws are not worth it and 35 percent say they are. The topic varied among Republicans. The survey found 29 percent of conservative Republicans said stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost, while 47 percent of moderate and liberal Republicans said they are worth the cost.

Age and Education

The youngest age group surveyed, those 18-29 were more likely to say environmental regulations are worth it (70%). The older the surveyed groups got, the less likely they were to say environmental laws are worth it, with 47 percent of those 65 and older saying the laws are worthy.

Those with higher levels of education were more likely to say environmental regulations are useful (postgrads 75%, high school or less 51%).

The survey comes just before Trump, who has said before that global warming is a hoax, is sworn-in as president.

“The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive,” Donald Trump said in a 2012 tweet.

The president-elect promises to back out of President Barack Obama’s Paris climate agreement, and has picked Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a strong critic of the Environmental Protection Agency with close ties to energy companies, to run that very same agency.

Last month, Trump ignited concerns of a type of “witch hunt” at the Energy Department, as his transition team requested the agency to identify those who have worked on climate change with the Obama administration. At the same time, scientists started to copying down U.S. climate data onto independent servers to save it from a hostile Donald Trump administration.