A new UMBC poll finds residents want a range of energy generation options but only a minority favored electricity generation from coal plants. (File photo courtesy the Integration and Application Network, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science)
Marylanders support a variety of options for increasing energy generation in the state except for one, according to a poll released Wednesday.
The survey by the Institute of Politics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, comes as lawmakers in Annapolis are scrambling to expand electricity generation in the state, and residents are receiving utility bills with sharp increases.
The poll found Marylanders support a menu of power sources from solar and wind to natural gas and nuclear. Expansion of coal-burning plants, however, is not among the options favored in the survey, with just 42% of people supporting coal .
Four-in-five people surveyed in the poll said they supported the expansion of solar energy. Another 74% said they would favor expanding the use of natural gas for electricity generation.
Marylanders said they want a variety of power sources, said Mileah Kromer, a pollster and director of the Institute of Politics.
More than six people in 10 who were surveyed said “addressing the costs of household energy bills was a high priority for them,” Kromer said.
The latest UMBC Poll surveyed 803 Maryland adults, including 769 who said they were registered voters, from Feb. 11-15. It has an overall margin of error of 3.5%. The margin of error among registered voters is also 3.5%.
Part one of the poll, which included Marylanders’ ratings of Gov. Wes Moore’s job performance and the direction of the state, was released Tuesday.
Other options for expanding energy generation included:
- Wind — 70%
- Use of trash incinerators — 68%
- Geothermal — 63%
- Nuclear – 51%
Marylanders are healthy but say health care is a concern
The poll also found that 70% of Marylanders say their overall health is good or excellent.
A 2023 report by the United Health Foundation ranked Maryland 11th overall in the nation. The report cited a low incidence of chronic conditions in adults.
More than a third of those, however, said the cost of health care or insurance was the state’s “most urgent” health care issue.
Another 25% said chronic health issues including diabetes and heart disease is the most urgent issue. Twelve percent said the lack of access to medical care was the biggest healthcare issue.
Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: [email protected].
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