--- title: "Americans Favor Carbon Cap, Gays in the Military and Renewing U.S.-Cuba Ties" description: "Overview Washington’s policy agenda has been dominated by the economy and financial crisis during President Obama’s first two months in office. Yet a number of other policy proposals are currently being considered or may emerge in the future. The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted March […]" date: "2009-03-25" authors: - name: "Pew Research Center" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2009/03/25/americans-favor-carbon-cap-gays-in-the-military-and-renewing-us-cuba-ties/" categories: - "Climate, Energy & Environment" - "International Affairs" - "Same-Sex Marriage" - "Same-Sex Marriage" --- # Americans Favor Carbon Cap, Gays in the Military and Renewing U.S.-Cuba Ties ## Overview Washington’s policy agenda has been dominated by the economy and financial crisis during President Obama’s first two months in office. Yet a number of other policy proposals are currently being considered or may emerge in the future. The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted March 9-12 among 1,308 adults, included public attitudes toward setting limits on carbon emissions, allowing gays to serve openly in the military, and re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba. ### Support for Carbon Cap A majority of the public (59%) favors setting limits on carbon dioxide emissions and making companies pay for their emissions, even if that may mean higher energy prices. A third (33%) opposes capping carbon emissions under these conditions. ![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/legacy/501-1.gif) Seven-in-ten Democrats (70%) favor limiting carbon emissions even if it may ultimately result in higher energy prices, compared with 60% of independents and 42% of Republicans. While Republicans and Democrats differ widely in opinions about setting limits on emissions of carbon dioxide, there also are substantial ideological and class divisions within both parties. By about seven-to-one (83% to 12%), liberal Democrats favor setting limits on carbon dioxide emissions and making companies pay for their emissions, even if it means higher energy prices. Nearly half of liberal Democrats (46%) strongly favor this idea. A smaller majority of conservative and moderate Democrats (64%) favor imposing limits on carbon dioxide emissions, and just 19% strongly favor the proposal. ![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/legacy/501-2.gif) Republicans also are split: by 56% to 37%, conservative Republicans oppose setting limits on carbon emissions. By roughly the same margin (54% to 38%), moderate and liberal Republicans favor this approach. Overall, 72% of college graduates support this proposal, compared with 60% of those with some college and 50% of those with no more than a high school education. Within both parties, well-educated people are more likely to support setting limits on carbon dioxide emissions than are those with less education. Among Republicans, 50% of college graduates favor setting emissions limits for carbon dioxide compared with 37% of those who have not completed college. The educational differences are even larger among Democrats (91% of college graduates vs. 62% of non-college graduates). More women (63%) than men (55%) support placing a limit on carbon dioxide emissions. There are regional differences in opinions on this issue: Two-thirds (66%) of those living in the West support capping carbon emissions compared with 58% in the Midwest and 53% in the South. The difference is larger when regions are combined; 64% of those living in the Northeast or the West support limiting carbon emissions, compared with 56% of people living in the Midwest or the South. ### Most Favor Gays Serving Openly ![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/legacy/501-3.gif) Most Americans continue to favor allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military. Currently, 59% favor allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces, while 32% are opposed. Public attitudes on this issue have been stable since 2005. In 1994, after the Clinton administration approved the current “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy – which mandated the discharge of service members who engage in homosexual conduct – there was less support for lifting the ban on openly gay service members. At that time, 52% favored and 45% opposed permitting gays and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces. ![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/legacy/501-4.gif) Republicans are divided over this proposal: a majority of conservative Republicans (57%) oppose allowing gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military compared with 37% who favor letting them serve. By about two-to-one (62% to 30%), moderate and liberal Republicans favor permitting gays and lesbians to serve in the armed forces. Eight-in-ten liberal Democrats (79%) support allowing gays to serve in the military while just 18% oppose the proposal. A smaller majority of conservative and moderate Democrats (60%) favors permitting gays to serve openly while 29% are opposed. More women than men favor letting gays and lesbians serve in the military (66% vs. 52%). There also are large differences among religious groups in views on this issue. By about five-to-one (77% to 15%), the religiously unaffiliated favor allowing gays to serve; smaller majorities of white Catholics (65%) and white mainline Protestants (62%) express this view. By comparison, 38% of white evangelical Protestants support allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces while 55% are opposed. ### Renew U.S.-Cuba Ties ![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/legacy/501-5.gif) A narrow majority of Americans (52%) believe that the United States should re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba, which were cut off nearly half a century ago following the revolution that propelled Fidel Castro’s regime into power. A third (33%) oppose re-establishing ties with Cuba. Gallup surveys in recent years showed somewhat more support for renewing diplomatic relations with Cuba (61% in 2008, 67% in 2006). College graduates favor re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba by a wide margin (63% to 24%); those with some college education have similar views about this proposal (61% favor, 25% oppose). By contrast, those with no more than a high school education are evenly divided – 41% say the United States should renew ties with Cuba while 42% oppose this step. About twice many liberal Democrats as conservative Republicans favor re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba (73% vs. 36%). About half of conservative and moderate Democrats (54%), independents (53%) and moderate and liberal Republicans (50%) say the United States should restore ties with Cuba. --- **Next:** [About the Survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2009/03/25/about-the-survey-386.md)