PERCEPTIONS ON COAL

• A 2017 survey found that Americans are "rapidly turning against coal."
• Americans are still skeptical about using natural gas, but overall 48% of Americans either somewhat support or strongly support a "purposeful phaseout of coal."
• Only 20% strongly oppose a phaseout of coal and another 14% somewhat oppose the idea.
• The percentage of people who strongly support a phaseout of coal jumped from 18% in 2016 to 29% in 2017.
• Even in states where there are active coal mines, Americans increasing their support for a phaseout of coal, as overall support increased by 9% between 2016 and 2017.
• In addition, among Republicans, who traditionally support the coal industry, strong opposition to phasing out coal fell by 14%.
• Public support for "clean coal" has also fallen, tumbling 15% over a 10-year-period, while strong opposition increased by 9% over that same period.
• A Pew Research Center survey found that "65% of Americans give priority to developing alternative energy sources, compared with 27% who would emphasize expanded production of fossil fuel sources."

PERCEPTIONS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY

• According to a survey conducted by market research firm Maslansky & Partners, 74% of respondents "think we should use solar as much as possible."
• In addition, 70% of respondents "agree that in the near future, we should produce 100% of our electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
• Even more astounding is that 51% of respondents believe that "100 percent renewables is a good idea even if it raises their energy bills by 30 percent."
• Another study found that public support for renewable energy "appears broader than acceptance of anthropogenic climate change."
• In addition, support for renewable energy is rising faster than climate change acceptance, even in conservative regions.

TRENDS

• Electric cooperatives' "retail fuel mix nationwide is trending toward natural gas and renewable energy resources and away from coal-based generation as costs and regulations boost lower-emission energy sources."
• Lower natural gas prices, coal power plant retirements, and lower renewable energy costs are responsible for the reduction in coal for electric cooperatives.
• Coal's share of cooperatives' electricity production was at 41% in 2016, compared to 54% in 2014.
• Renewable energy mandates in 29 states, along with federal subsidies for renewable energy have "driven the growth of renewable resources nationwide and at cooperatives."
• One reason behind the decline in American support for coal is the "emergence of the U.S. as a global superpower of natural gas production."
• The rise of "other viable power sources demonstrates coal is no longer the player in the national psyche as it has been in the past."
• Americans under the age of 50 are more likely to support (73%) alternative energy sources over expanding fossil fuels. However, a higher percentage of people over the age of 50 (59% of people ages 50-64 and 50% of people ages 65+) still think expanding alternative energy sources is more important than expanding fossil fuels.
• The retirement of coal plants is accelerating because they are becoming "increasingly uneconomical."
• In 2018, "70 percent of coal capacity in the U.S. had a higher running cost than renewables, and by 2030, that number is expected to reach 100 percent."
• Domestic coal consumption fell 4% between 2017 and 2018, and 2018's consumption represented the lowest amount in 39 years.
• On the other hand, coal exports increased by 61% in 2017 and are expected to continue to increase as demand for U.S. coal remain high due to the increased demand for electricity in other countries.

• In addition to this public search, we scanned our proprietary research database of over 1 million sources and were unable to find any specific research reports that address your goals.