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Idahoans express growing concern about growth, climate change, water in new poll

Backcountry skiers make their way up Stevens Peak on Saturday along the Idaho-Montana border. Idahoans still value outdoor recreation and conservation, according to a recent poll, but Idaho lags behind other western states in how severe it considers environmental issues like climate change and wildfires. (Eli Francovich/The Spokesman-Review)
By Nicole Blanchard The Idaho Statesman

BOISE – Idahoans still value outdoor recreation and conservation, according to a recent poll, but Idaho lags behind other western states in how severe it considers environmental issues like climate change and wildfires.

Last week, Colorado College – a private college in Colorado Springs – released the results of its annual State of the Rockies poll, which asks registered voters in eight states where they stand on issues like public lands, water and climate change. Though the poll is in its 12th year, Idaho has only been included since 2018. The poll also includes Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

Idaho residents’ responses have remained consistent in some areas over the past five years. About two-thirds of respondents said they feel wildfires are becoming more severe and a bigger issue for the West. Ninety percent of Idahoans said they recreate on public lands, and roughly three-quarters think outdoor recreation is important for the state’s economy.

In 2022, Idahoans appear to be growing more concerned about climate change, habitat loss, poorly planned development and adequate water supply, according to the poll’s results. About 20% of Idaho respondents said they consider climate change an extremely serious problem, an eight-point increase from 2019, when the question was first posed. About 19% of Idahoans said habitat loss was seriously concerning, up 10 points from 2018. In 2018, 11.7% of Idaho respondents said poorly planned growth and development was a serious concern. That number skyrocketed to nearly 29% in 2022 – the year after a widespread drought – and 22% of Idaho respondents said they felt inadequate water supply was a serious issue, up from 8% in 2018.

Respondents across the West – including 60% of Idahoans – said they felt more worried than hopeful about the future of nature and natural resources. But compared to other western states, Idaho was frequently less supportive of conservation and environment issues. Thirty-five percent of Idaho respondents said they didn’t believe climate change was a problem – second only to Wyoming – while in most other states, that percentage was less than one-quarter. On related issues, like drought, snowpack, river levels, extreme weather and wildfire severity, Idahoans were among the respondents least likely to express concern. Idaho respondents also had one of the lowest levels of support for ensuring access to public lands (74%), addressing maintenance backlogs on existing outdoor infrastructure (83%) and creating new sites for outdoor recreation (73%).