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TRANSCRIPT
CIRCULAR ECONOMIES: POLLING ON ZERO-WASTE
DATA FOR PROGRESS
Avery Wendell Data for Progress
Siddarth Shrikanth Harvard Circular Economy Symposium
January 26th, 2020Harvard Circular Economy Symposium
CIRCULAR ECONOMIES: POLLING ON ZERO-WASTE 2
The release of greenhouse gases is not the only negative
byproduct of modern economies; they also produce
staggering amounts of waste. National Geographic
estimates that there are 6.9 billion tonnes of plastic waste
accumulated in the world, of which only 8.6% will ever be
recycled. And that is just plastic waste. According to the
LA Times the world produces 1.3 billion tons of all kinds
of rubbish every single year. All of this waste kills wild
animals, facilitates the spread of disease, and pollutes soil,
air, and water.
However, as with climate change, some politicians are
stepping forward with proposals to change the “take,
make, and dispose” model of our modern, so-called “linear
economies,” with zero-waste “circular economies.” Last
year, Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced the Zero Waste Act in
the United States Congress and the European Commission
adopted its ambitious Circular Economy Plan. These
important, nascent political commitments are coinciding
with a greater interest in circular economic principles
within academic/thought circles as well. In 2020 groups as
disparate as National Geographic, Greenbiz, the Chamber
of Congress, and Harvard will host programs dedicated to
in-depth explorations of circular economies.. While mass
action within both the public and private sectors still
appears far-off, these promising developments beg a larger
question; where does the public stand on these concepts?
Data For Progress has conducted polling which suggests
that in the last year the public is receptive to reducing
waste. While the lexicon around “circular” economies has
not entered the wider mainstream, the concept of “zero-
waste” has. Below is a chart of the relative search volume
of zero-waste (in red) and circular economy (blue) since
2004. Both concepts have gained volume over two decades,
but “zero-waste” was a far more popular search term than
“circular economy.”
Source: Google Analytics.
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Jan2020
Jan2019
Jan2018
Jan2017
Jan2016
Jan2015
Jan2014
Jan2013
Jan2012
Jan2011
Jan2010
Jan2009
Jan2008
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Jan2005
Jan2004
Zero-waste
Circulareconomy
INTEREST OVER TIME
CIRCULAR ECONOMIES: POLLING ON ZERO-WASTE 3
As such, in two different surveys, one in partnership with
Sunrise Movement, and the other a YouGov Blue poll of
registered voters, Data for Progress asked respondents
“Would you support or oppose a program that gives grants
to states and cities to invest in composting and other
waste disposal plans that don’t require new landfills or
incinerators?”
The YouGov Blue poll found that 71.4% would support
these initiatives, with less than 8% saying they were
somewhat or very opposed. The Sunrise Poll found similar
numbers; 67% in support and just 11% opposed. The polls
also found those with college or postgraduate degrees
were far more likely to “strongly” support zero-waste
initiatives than those with only some college or high
school education.
The polls also differentiated in the level of support by
political affiliation. The YouGov poll found net support
among liberal voters at nearly 80% while the Sunrise
poll found it to be around 60%. For conservative and
moderate voters, the numbers were lower, but net support
still positive. With 43% and 22% net support among
conservatives according to YGB and SR respectively, and
61% and 57% for moderates. However, this may belie
softer support amongst these groups. While liberals
were overwhelmingly “strongly” in support for zero-
waste policy, moderate and conservatives were far more
likely to be only “somewhat supportive.” In both polls,
conservatives were more likely to “somewhat” support
policies versus “strongly” do so, while among moderates, it
was close to an even split.
ZERO-WASTE PROGRAM SUPPORT BY EDUCATIONSTRONGLY SUPPORT NEITHER SUPPORT NOR OPPOSESOMEWHAT SUPPORT SOMEWHAT OPPOSE STRONGLY OPPOSE
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
High school or less (n=151) Some college (n=399) College grad (n=284) Post grad (n=199)
Perc
ent r
espo
nden
ts
35% 30% 11% 4% 8% 38% 30% 13% 6% 45% 21% 16% 7% 49% 20% 9% 11% 5%3%3%
DATA FOR PROGRESSSource: SunriseGND fielded by YouGov Blue. Responses are weighted to represent the population of registered voters.
ZERO-WASTE PROGRAM SUPPORT BY AGESTRONGLY SUPPORT NEITHER SUPPORT NOR OPPOSESOMEWHAT SUPPORT SOMEWHAT OPPOSE STRONGLY OPPOSE
DATA FOR PROGRESSSource: YGBRegisteredVoterOmnibusJulyB fielded by YouGov Blue. Responses are weighted to represent the population of registered voters.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
65+ (n=271)55-64 (n=216)45-54 (n=176)30-44 (n=221)18-29 (n=125)
48% 26% 12% 3% 42% 25% 18% 5% 5% 5% 34% 38% 10% 4% 3% 3%31% 40% 16% 4%4% 37% 32% 10%2%
CIRCULAR ECONOMIES: POLLING ON ZERO-WASTE 4
Both polls showed a breakdown along racial lines as well.
While all three races with statistically significant samples
(White, Hispanic, and Black) had positive net support,
Hispanics were most likely to be “strongly” in support.
Moreover, in both polls, blacks were more likely to only
“somewhat” support zero-waste initiatives while both
Hispanics and Whites were more likely to be strongly in
support.
Finally, both polls found strong support correlated
with age. While all age groups had similar net support
numbers, younger generations were far more likely to
strongly support these initiatives. According to the Sunrise
poll, over 50% of people aged 18-29 strongly supported the
proposal, compared to ~35% for people 65+. Although even
in older cohorts, zero-waste initiatives enjoy wide support,
even if the support is “somewhat” rather than “strongly.”
These numbers suggest that a zero-waste bill akin to Ilhan
Omar’s is popular across a wide range of demographic
and political identifications. However, as is often the
case on environmental issues, younger people are more
likely to strongly support sustainable initiatives, and if
circular economy advocates were looking for reasons to be
concerned, the prevalence of only “somewhat” supporting
zero-waste initiatives amongst conservative, less-educated,
and older voters means there is potential for this support
to dissipate or prove less salient as waste issues begin
to take center stage. Still, in an era of supposed partisan
divide, zero-waste initiatives have the potential for
unusual bi-partisan appeal.
COVER PHOTOJilbert Ebrahimi/Unsplash
ZERO-WASTE PROGRAM SUPPORT BY RACESTRONGLY SUPPORT NEITHER SUPPORT NOR OPPOSESOMEWHAT SUPPORT SOMEWHAT OPPOSE STRONGLY OPPOSE
Perc
ent r
espo
nden
ts
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Hispanic (n=78)Black (n=112)White (n=765)
39% 34% 12% 5% 4% 4% 47% 19% 22% 2% 3%1%29% 31% 22%
DATA FOR PROGRESSSource: YGBRegisteredVoterOmnibusJulyB fielded by YouGov Blue. Responses are weighted to represent the population of registered voters.