Texas Voters, Feeling the Pinch of High Home Energy Prices, Support Investments to Improve the Grid – Data For Progress

We also asked those with higher home energy prices whom they blame, and we sought to understand how information about the independence of the Texas grid could impact their responses. In a split-sample test, we asked one group of respondents:

”To what extent do you blame each of the following for your higher home energy prices?”

Meanwhile, the other half of the sample was asked the same question, but with the additional caveat that:

“Since the Texas electricity grid is independent, it is not subject to regulation by the federal government.”

There are stark differences in whom voters blame for their high home energy prices when they are reminded about the independence of the Texas grid. Without additional information, only a third of Texas voters paying higher home energy bills place “a great deal of blame” on Abbott, while 54 percent blame President Biden “a great deal” and 56 blame ERCOT “a great deal.” However, when given information about the grid’s independence, the percentage of those who place “a great deal” of blame on Abbott jumps to 44 percent and on ERCOT to 65 percent. Meanwhile, the share of voters who blame Biden “a great deal” drops to 39 percent.

Original Source: https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2022/9/30/texas-voters-feeling-the-pinch-of-high-home-energy-prices-support-investments-to-improve-the-grid