A sign on Providence’s East Side, left, supports the offshore wind industry. At right, a sign in Newport’s Point neighborhood opposes offshore wind. (Photos by Nancy Lavin, left, and Janine L. Weisman, right/Rhode Island Current)
Political affiliation sways Rhode Islanders opinions on offshore wind far more than how close they live to the coastline, according to a new Rhode Island Current poll.
The poll, conducted by MassINC Polling Group with funding from the Knight Election Hub, surveyed 800 likely voters from Sept. 12 to 18.
Nearly six in 10 survey participants supported plans to bring more offshore wind to Rhode Island, compared with 34% who disapproved.
The perception gap widened significantly once politics came into play. Democrats overwhelmingly backed growing the Ocean State’s offshore wind portfolio by a 68-percentage-point margin. Republicans leaned heavily in the opposite direction, with 60% expressing disapproval compared with 26% approval.
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