The last few months, we’ve been talking with our network about how to evolve our communications strategies and tactics in response to the political climate. Last week, we joined American Rivers Action Fund for a webinar hosted by the Environmental Polling Consortium on the State of Public Opinion on Water. In this briefing, we shared our latest national voter poll, conducted in October 2024, focusing on water messages that bridge divides, and our research on the State of Resilience.

In this blog, we recap the toplines and the best practices for turning these polling results into compelling messages. Watch the full briefing here:

Voter views on water

Polls consistently show strong public support, across political ideology and demographics, for action that protects safe drinking water, helps communities prepare for and recover from storms, flood, and fire, and a rejection of the tired refrain that its either the economy or the environment.

Over 20 years of data shows worry for water tops voters concerns of environmental problems. This make sense because we have an intimate relationship with water, especially drinking water, that comes into our homes. We need water to make food for our families and bathe our babies. This relationship is a powerful opportunity to connect with people.

But, even if water is the top environmental concern — and there is strong majority support for clean water protections — it is not top of mind for voters compared to other pressing issues. A February 2025 Pew Research survey finds many more voters say the role of money in politics (72%), the affordability of healthcare (67%), and inflation (63%) as the biggest national problems our country faces, compared to the impact of natural disasters (44%) and climate change (41%). This shows us that while voters support water protections, we need to take some extra steps to listen and understand voter concerns, and how they intersect with our issues.

One place where voters show they really care about water is in how our country invests in infrastructure. More voters (63%) say drinking water and sewer infrastructure should be a priority for U.S. government spending — more than any other category, including roads and bridges. The idea of investing in water and sewer systems polls well across parties. Our poll found 67% of Democrats, 63% of Independents, and 60% of Republicans say it should be a priority. The 2025 Value of Water Index found 80% of voters support continued federal funding for water infrastructure.

We see the biggest concerns for water safety the closer we get to home. Findings from our October 2024 national poll include:

• When we asked about issues that threaten drinking water safety, 88% of voters say they are at least somewhat concerned about PFAS (“forever chemicals” that do not break down) and lead in drinking water pipes. A similar number of voters say they are at least somewhat concerned about outdated infrastructure (87%) and agricultural pollution (86%).
• There is also broad consensus around the idea of safe and affordable water as a human right (94% of Democrats, 87% of Independents and 82% of Republicans agree) but we’ve also found the idea of “water for all of us” works well to speak with both left-leaning and conservative voters.
• Support for a national water affordability program varied more: 90% of Democrats, 63% of Independents and 65% of Republicans support creating a permanent U.S. government program to help low-income families pay their water bills.
• Water can help us make the case for conservation. When asked about the most important reasons to protect U.S. lands and waters, protecting sources of drinking water was the top rank by more than double.

State of Resilience

More officials and advocates are talking about resilience to climate change. What do voters think? Without explanation, a strong majority of voters (74%) have a positive view of the term “resilience,” but 9% of voters say they don’t know what it means and respond even more positively to simpler terms like protection (80%), preparedness (78%), and conservation (76%).

When asked to choose among three definitions, voters are nearly split between thinking of resilience as “bouncing back” (39%) or “recovering stronger” (38%). Fewer think of resilience “strong or healthy enough to avoid a crisis” (23%). So, while resilience may be the right short-hand when applying for grants or educating elected officials, we think advocates will forge stronger connections by talking about preparedness, protection, and safety with the public. Preparedness, strength, and community were also concepts that popped in the answer to an open-ended question asking voters how else they would describe a community’s ability to handle disasters.

We do see a partisan split when asking about climate resilience vs. disaster resilience:

• 90% of Democrats, 78% of Independents, and 81% of Republicans say it is
  extremely or very important to invest in “disaster resilience.”
• 92% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 72% of Republicans say it is
  extremely or very important to invest in “climate resilience.”

This tracks with other research. In the same February 2025 Pew Research survey mentioned earlier, there is a much greater difference (54%) between Democratic-leaning and Republican-leaning voters when asking about climate change. Only 13% of Republican-leaning voters say climate change is a very big problem in the country today vs. 67% of Democratic-leaning voters. While there is a smaller divide (21%) who say the impact of natural disasters is a very big problem (33% of Republicans vs. 54% of Democrats). That’s why it is important to tailor your different communications to your audience.

Turning polling into messaging

We know that decisions are driven by both feelings and facts, and that people tune out content that doesn’t reflect their voices or values. How should you interpret this research into your own messaging?

• Start with home, heart, and health: People value the safety and prosperity of their families. That’s one reason why connecting issues to safe drinking water and sanitation, and disaster preparedness and prevention, that literally hit home, offer a place of connection.
• Describe specific projects and their benefits: While some terms trigger an immediate partisan response, we have found that using more words to describe exactly how a project or policy benefits a community is a winning strategy. Talk about how lead pipe replacement will keep kids healthy, how green streets soak up rain, preventing flooding and basement back-ups, and protecting coastal marshes will buffer cities against storms. Use real-world examples of these solutions in action to help people visualize a different outcome.
• Localize and tailor to your audience: It’s impossible to talk to everyone all at once. Fit your message and messengers to the community you are trying to reach in a given moment. That can mean using different language in an op-ed for the readers of a conservative-leaning newspaper a little differently than you would for a progressive blog. Bring issues into peoples homes and neighborhoods, and how it affects the people the places they love, to connect.

What next?

Sign up for our Water Cooler newsletter to hear about our trainings and resources and follow us on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Instagram.