Clearing the air: Public health concerns and support for natural gas restrictions in the United States

Abstract

Earlier policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. have often treated natural gas as a clean fuel due to its higher energy output per unit of carbon dioxide emitted compared to other fuels. However, recent local decarbonization initiatives seek to restrict residential uses of natural gas. Public support for such policies could be a key factor in determining whether local governments implement natural gas restrictions. It may also indicate the potential for state and federal governments to adopt similar measures. In this study, we conduct an online survey with 2623 U.S. adults to demonstrate how public support for natural gas restrictions varies based on policy framing. These framings include (1) household economic costs, (2) industry positions, (3) health impacts, (4) contribution to climate change, and (5) political support. Our results show that public support for policies to ban natural gas in new construction is significantly influenced by the health impact of these policies. This finding suggests that U.S. citizens are sensitive to non-economic health frames when evaluating a policy proposal to phase out natural gas use. Meanwhile, factors such as monthly energy costs, industry support, climate effects, and political backing show only a weak influence on public opinion regarding these policies.