A new poll shows eliminating gas stoves isn’t a winning strategy among voters nationally.
According to The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights, a majority of the respondents (53%) across demographic groups express opposition to the idea of banning gas stoves. When breaking down the responses by party, 62% of Republicans strongly oppose any ban of gas stoves compared to 16% of Democrats and 37% of independents.
The respondents show a variation by age. While 31% of those surveyed between the ages of 18 to 54 are opposed to the idea, the amount climbs to 46% for those age 55 and older.
“When looking at age, the support is low everywhere but it’s lowest among the oldest and highest amongst our youngest respondents,” David Byler, chief of research at Noble Predictive Insights, said in an interview with The Center Square. “The partisan divide is interesting because you have a large number of Republicans strongly opposed and you have Democrats giving it a little bit of support and a lot of people on the fence.”
The poll found 33% of Democrats responded they neither supported nor opposed a ban, compared to 13% of Republicans. Only 5% of Republicans said they were unsure on the issue, while 13% of Democrats expressed the sentiment.
Earlier this month, an article on the Natural Resources Defense Council website said the “single-most important step we can take to help address global warming and save this planet is swearing off fossil fuels.” The organization advocated for replacing appliances powered by natural gas with electricity.
“As the electric grid becomes increasingly powered by renewable energy, any appliances that run on electricity also become cleaner,” NRDC stated.
However, regulations prohibiting gas appliances could create multiple problems.
“While cooking is far from the main consumer of electricity, a mass switch from cooking on gas to cooking on electricity could add stress to the system,” Zilvinas Silenas, president of the Foundation for Economic Education, wrote in a 2020 article. “Moreover, if bans extend from cooking on gas to heating homes with gas, the problems would likely be even more severe.”
Gas stoves produce small amounts of particulate matter, according to several studies. One study found gas stoves used for cooking are associated with a higher risk of asthma among children and concluded 13% of asthma cases in the U.S. can be attributed to use of a gas stove.
“This issue has ignited a firestorm, and it will be important to use good science to calm people down, separate facts from fear, and prioritize actions that are best for public health and the environment,” wrote Peggy Murray, the research director of the Center for Truth in Science, a nonprofit organization.
The poll was conducted from July 31 to Aug. 3 and included 2,500 voters – 1,000 Republicans, 1,000 Democrats and 500 independents. The margin of error for the aggregate sample was ±2.4% and each political group was independently weighted. For information about the methodology, visit www.noblepredictiveinsights.com.
