Our last post showed that when it comes to energy, Americans want low costs, reliable power, and a modern power grid, and are concerned that rising demand threatens all three. This week’s analysis shows that voters see outdated infrastructure and regulatory delays as major barriers to building new energy projects, and there is broad support for faster permitting and approvals to get projects built and grid upgrades done quickly. The Embold survey of 2,160 registered voters nationwide was fielded August 26 – 29, 2025 and explored Americans’ concerns about the cost of energy, their energy priorities, and their views on different energy types, growing energy demand, and the energy provisions in the OBBBA (toplines, crosstabs).
This post is the third in a weekly series on energy, which we will post throughout the month of September.
Embold Research asked voters what they see as the biggest obstacles to getting new energy projects built and operating. Most point to two challenges: an outdated grid and permitting and regulatory barriers. One in three voters (33%) say outdated or low-quality electric grid infrastructure is the biggest barrier, followed closely by long permitting and approval processes (31%) and lack of investment or funding (30%). A quarter identify environmental reviews and requirements (25%), and about one in five mention local community opposition (21%). Fewer voters point to workforce and supply chain challenges, such as a shortage of skilled labor (10%) or a lack of materials and equipment (3%).
When it comes to the biggest barriers, voters’ perceptions often align with the types of energy they want to see developed. Democrats and voters who support developing renewables are more likely to point to lack of funding and an outdated energy infrastructure as the main obstacles. Republicans and voters who support developing fossil fuels, by contrast, are more likely to see permitting and environmental requirements as the biggest barriers.
With permitting seen as a top barrier to getting new energy projects online, around two in three voters support their state making changes to speed up permitting and reducing regulations to get these projects built and operational. After being presented with arguments from both supporters and opponents, voters were asked whether they support their state speeding up the process for approving and building new energy projects. Half of respondents saw this framed around new “energy projects” generally, while the other half saw it framed around new “renewable energy projects” specifically. The level of support is nearly identical across both versions of the questions, with 68% supportive, including 37% strongly supportive, when asked about “new energy projects” and 67% in support when asked about “new renewable energy projects” specifically.
Both versions of the question show broad, bipartisan support for faster permitting. Democrats are more likely to back reforms when renewable projects are specifically mentioned (72% vs. 65%), while Republicans show higher support when the question is framed around energy projects more generally (77% vs. 64%).
This desire to see new energy projects built more quickly also translates into electoral politics. Three in four voters are more likely to support candidates who prioritize building new transmission lines and upgrading the electrical grid quickly, and a majority (56%) are more likely to support those who focus on building new renewable energy projects. Voters across the political spectrum support candidates who prioritize upgrading the grid, including 84% of Democrats, 70% of Republicans, and 61% of Independents. Support for a candidate who prioritizes renewable energy projects, however, is more polarized. Nearly nine in ten Democrats (89%) say they would be more likely to support a candidate who prioritizes renewables, compared with about half of Independents (49%) and just 23% of Republicans. A majority of Republicans (54%) say they would be less likely to support such a candidate.
Taken together, these results show that despite partisan differences on renewables, Americans broadly agree on the need to speed up permitting so that new energy projects and grid upgrades can be completed more quickly.