Urban elites are far more likely than other Americans to oppose gasoline powered cars, SUVs of all types, and gas stoves, according to a survey released last week by the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. The survey defined “elites” as people who have post-graduate degrees, live in households that earn more than $150,000 a year, and live in zip codes with densities of more than 10,000 people per square mile, which is about four times the average urban density in the U.S.
The cities of Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco all average more than 10,000 people per square mile. Photo by Mai-Linh Doan.
Conducted by Scott Rasmussen, the survey found that 72 percent of these elites (and 81 percent of Ivy League elites) favored banning gasoline-powered cars, compared with 24 percent of Americans as a whole. Further, 58 percent of elites favored banning SUVs compared with 16 percent of Americans and 66 percent of Ivy League elites, while 69 percent of elites (and 80 percent of Ivy League elites) favored banning gas stoves compared with 25 percent of all Americans.
The survey estimates that about 1 percent of Americans fall into its definition of “elites” (and half of those were Ivy Leaguers), but this is a very different 1 percent than the 1 percent who earn the highest incomes. About 20 percent of Americans live in households that earn $150,000 or more a year, but most of those either live in low-density neighborhoods or don’t have post-graduate degrees.
What is it about dense cities that causes people to lose empathy for anyone else? I’ve noted before that people who live in suburbs or rural areas love their lives but don’t think that anyone else should live that way if they don’t want to. However, many people who live in dense cities think their lifestyle is so wonderful that everyone else should be forced to live that way as well.
The wording of one question gives a hint of what some of these people are thinking. Asked whether non-essential air travel should be banned, 55 percent of elites and 70 percent of Ivy Leaguers agreed compared with 22 percent of all Americans. Of course, no one thinks that their own air travel is “non-essential,” so they all imagine that others will be most likely to have to give up their travel. In the same way, it is likely that many of these elites already have gas stoves and/or SUVs and so won’t mind if new ones are banned.
The elites also tend to think that Americans have “too much individual freedom.” When asked this question, 47 percent of them agreed (as did 55 percent of Ivy Leaguers) but only 16 percent of Americans as a whole thought we have too much freedom. In contrast, 57 percent of Americans think we suffer from too much government control compared with just 21 percent of the elites and 15 percent of Ivy Leaguers. Of course, no one thinks that they themselves should be controlled; only others.
The survey found that 73 percent of elites are Democrats and only 14 percent are Republicans. However, it claimed that even Republicans elites, though tending to be more conservative than Democrats, “have attitudes and opinions that are far removed from those of the typical American voter.” However, it didn’t report exactly how those opinions are different.
The report opens with the famous quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald (from a 1925 book) that the rich “are different from you and me.” The quote goes on to say that the rich are “cynical where we are trustful.” However, this survey finds the opposite: the elites are far more likely to trust the government than Americans as a whole. For example, 67 percent of elites and 80 percent of Ivy Leaguers trust Congress compared with just 28 percent of Americans as a whole. The elites are also more likely to trust journalists: 79 percent of elites and 84 percent of Ivy Leaguers said they did compared with 44 percent of Americans as a whole.
In a 1936 story, Ernest Hemingway famously replied to Fitzgerald’s quote, saying, “Yes, they have more money,” implying they aren’t fundamentally different. The elites in this survey aren’t necessarily rich but they are definitely different. In particular, they think that they know better than everyone else and should be able to impose their ideas on others. Is it education or density that leads to that belief? Either way, the rest of us should be cynical about any ideas that are founded on the notion that we have too much freedom and not enough government control.
“The elites (…) think that they know better than everyone else and should be able to impose their ideas on others.”
Where was that evidenced in the survey?
“What is it about dense cities that causes people to lose empathy for anyone else?”
I beg your pardon, can you elaborate on this startling claim?
I have been reading your column with great interest and appreciation for about 15 years. As an “elite” myself I welcome challenges to the comfortable ideological beliefs that pervade governing and educational institutions. Please be mindful of not falling into the the same types of biases that you purport to debunk.
$150k/household is peanuts compared to the members of the American Petroleum Institute that paid your salary at Cato.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/19/big-oil-climate-crisis-lobby-group-api
How much do the members of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association make? You should ask them the next time they pay you for a study to blame pedestrians for getting killed by the enormous SUVs they sell.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/01/higher-vehicle-hoods-significantly-increase-pedestrian-deaths-study-finds/
City dweller Jane?
Were the pedestrians walking or bicycling? Where and why are these accidents occurring? What’s the excuse for trying to prohibit gas stoves?
My daughter lost power in the snow storm last week and thanks to the gas stove and fire place were warm and well fed.
It was not 17 degrees in her home.
Answer your own question, Jane. How much did Mr. O’Toole get paid by those organizations?
Then do Al Gore, with his B.A. in Journalism:
Al Gore Net Worth: $300 Million
Upon leaving the White House, Al pivoted to a career as a media entrepreneur with the founding of the cable network CurrenTV. In 2012 Al and his partners sold CurrenTV to Al Jazeera for $500 million. As 20% owner of the network, Gore’s pre-tax cut of the sale was $100 million.
Al served on the Board of Directors for Apple Inc. from 2003 to 2024. He was one of 9 board members. As a member of Apple’s board, Al earned a salary of $377,000 per year. His Apple position also at one pointed allowed Al to amass 100,000 shares of the company. He sold 59,000 shares in 2013 for a windfall of $30 million.
Al Gore’s property in Belle Meade, Tennessee caused even more controversy for Gore. He was forced to add solar panels to this 10,000-square-foot property when it was revealed how much energy his household was consuming. One report found that Gore’s mansion, which is worth an estimated $8 million, consumed 34 times more energy than an average household over a period of one month and that his swimming pool alone consumed enough energy to power six homes over a one-year period. His home is also heated by natural gas, which is a big no-no among environmentalists. All in all, Gore was spending over $2,400 per month in utility bills.
Funnily enough, George W. Bush got the last laugh once again in the midst of this controversy. Observers soon pointed out that in contrast, George was living in one of the most sustainable, green-friendly homes imaginable. It was revealed that Bush Jr.’s home had a smaller footprint of 4,000 square feet, and it was heated by sustainable geothermal energy 75% times more efficient than a conventional heating/cooling system. Bush even made a point to collect rainwater from the roof, purify it, and then redirect it as irrigation to the surrounding fields. Once again, Al Gore was outdone.
–” American Petroleum Institute that paid your salary at Cato.”
NOW YOU TELL US how much Russian money your sources get to spread anti-energy lies that benefit Russia by keeping USA energy production down so Putinn can get more money for his oil to finance his re-establishment of the old Russian empire.
“An international campaign known as “Keep It in the Ground” has been pushing an anti-fossil fuel agenda that advances Russia’s geopolitical interests at the expense of the U.S. and America’s allies. The campaign claims support from more than 400 organizations across the globe, with a sizable percentage operating inside the U.S. The campaign is opposed not just to the extraction of fossil fuels, but to any fossil fuel-related project including pipelines, rail transportation, refineries, and energy exploration.
These groups include Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, 350.org, the Center for Biological Diversity, WildEarth Guardians, the Rainforest Action Network, Earthworks, and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, to name just a few. Some of the larger environmental advocacy groups in the U.S., such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and the League of Conservation Voters, don’t appear on the list of 400, yet do support the same anti-fossil policy aims and draw from the same pool of financial supporters.
The common denominator here between many of these groups is the San Francisco-based Sea Change Foundation, which has been identified as the incubator for Russian funding of environmental groups. Another key player is the Energy Foundation, which is also based in San Francisco and appears to be an offshoot of the Sea Change Foundation.” washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/russian-funded-environmental-group-gave-millions-to-anti-fracking-groups
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But Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe pushed the law, known as FARA, into the spotlight, as his team of prosecutors revealed how foreign parties often work unnoticed to sway political agendas and shape public thinking.
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China:
Reps. Rob Bishop of Utah, the committee chairman, and Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, who heads the panel’s oversight and investigations subcommittee, have written letters over the last few months to the Center for Biological Diversity and three other environmental groups — the Natural Resources Defense Council, the World Resources Institute, and Earthjustice — to inform them of the inquiry.
https://junkscience.com/2018/10/communist-china-funded-us-enviro-groups-working-to-stop-us-military-base-on-okinawa/
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CCP-tied group is quietly fueling US-based climate initiatives: tax filings
“The Energy Foundation’s ties to China are both extremely disturbing and reprehensible,” Tom Pyle, the president of the Institute for Energy Research, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “These environmental organizations, the recipients of this money, are, in essence, sacrificing our national security and empowering China.”
“We are the richest energy nation in the world with respect to coal, oil and natural gas,” he continued. “And yet the Biden administration and the environmentalists fueled by China are promoting policies that would increase our dependence on China, which controls all the minerals and materials needed for batteries and wind and solar, and curtail our production of oil and gas here at home.”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ccp-tied-group-quietly-fueling-us-based-climate-initiatives-tax-filings
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THE RED AND THE GREEN – CHINA’S USEFUL IDIOTS
https://www.thegwpf.org/content/uploads/2020/12/Green-reds.pdf
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Also: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/environmental-group-may-have-to-register-as-foreign-agents
Russian meddling in Canadian oil pipelines uses old Soviet ‘useful idiots’ ploy
https://financialpost.com/commodities/energy/russian-meddling-another-worry-for-canadian-energy-exports
Putin’s Ties to the Keystone XL Pipeline
https://www.ecowatch.com/putin-keystone-xl-pipeline-2260807144.html
Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) is sounding the alarm about links between China and an organization that has advocated against the continued use of gas stoves in the United States.
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Huizenga sent a letter (pdf) to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Monday, alleging the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)—an organization that has advocated for increased restrictions on gas stoves—has “considerable documented ties to the Chinese government.”
https://www.theepochtimes.com/rep-huizenga-raises-alarm-over-chinese-links-to-group-pushing-gas-stove-ban_5089777.html?
The Chinese Communist Party linked to funding for climate activists in the US and UK
The Chinese Communist Party just wants to save the Earth, right?
Even though China is the largest single user of fossil fuels on Earth, for some reason The Energy Foundation China — an NGO dedicated to worrying about carbon emissions — spent nearly $4 million working on reducing US emissions instead of Sino ones. They also spent some undisclosed amount helping the Grantham Research Institute in London last year. So we have donors in a developing country giving generously to the US and UK because the rich first world is too poor to fund their own environmental philanthropy groups, right?
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For example, the Chinese group gave $375,000 to the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC)
https://joannenova.com.au/2023/12/the-chinese-communist-party-linked-to-funding-for-climate-activists-in-the-us-and-uk/
Russian meddling in Canadian oil pipelines uses old Soviet ‘useful idiots’ ploy
Russian-linked accounts targeted ‘highly visible tension points’ in America, including protests against pipelines and over climate change
Author of the article:Claudia Cattaneo, Published Mar 02, 2018 • Last updated Mar 05, 2018 • 3 minute read
The alleged new “troll factory” in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the Internet Research Agency is said to be housed.
The alleged new “troll factory” in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the Internet Research Agency is said to be housed. PHOTO BY MSTYSLAV CHERNOV / AP FILE PHOTO
Article content
An investigation by United States lawmakers that links Russian-sponsored agents to manipulation of U.S. energy markets — including activism against pipelines such as TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL pipeline — is a wake-up call to Canadian governments that foreign interests have a big hand in campaigns to block Canadian oil and gas exports.
Article content
By designing energy and environmental policy to appease that inflated activism — for example, regulatory reforms that are expected to further discourage energy investment in Canada — Canadian governments are accommodating competitors prepared to do whatever it takes to protect and grow their global oil and gas market share, not Canada’s best interest.
According to the report by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology, made public Thursday, Russian agents have been exploiting U.S. social media platforms to influence opinions about U.S. energy and environmental policy.
https://financialpost.com/commodities/energy/russian-meddling-another-worry-for-canadian-energy-exports
Putin’s Ties to the Keystone XL Pipeline
https://www.ecowatch.com/putin-keystone-xl-pipeline-2260807144.html
Russia trying to throw German elections to stop Ukraine aid: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/kremlin-tries-to-build-antiwar-coalition-in-germany-documents-show/ar-AA1a7LPj
Russian’ money: http://www.debunkingclimate.com/russia-articles.html
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The foundation passed those millions along to some of the nation’s most prominent and politically active environmentalist groups. The Sierra Club, the Natural Resource Defense Council, the League of Conservation Voters, and the Center for American Progress were among the recipients of Sea Change’s $100 million in grants in 2010 and 2011.
https://freebeacon.com/issues/foreign-firm-funding-u-s-green-groups-tied-to-state-owned-russian-oil-company/
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a law firm that tries to block development … Worldwide Fund for Nature… the Natural Resources Defense Council …World Resources Institute…Energy Foundation … Extinction Rebellion
https://unherd.com/2021/12/does-the-ccp-control-extinction-rebellion/
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The credits on Gasland say it partly financed by one of the Middle East oil producers.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2012/09/28/matt-damons-anti-fracking-movie-financed-by-oil-rich-arab-nation/
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How US keeping fossil fuel in the ground helps Russia:
1. Fossil fuel is a necessity for modern life. (Nuclear is the ONLY viable alternative and the eco fanatics have put this off the table)
2. Therefore there is NO WAY we can eliminate fossil fuel until a LOW COST alternative comes along. Solar & Wind are several time more expensive than fossil fuels.)
3. Russia WILL NOT reduce its production
4. Russia will get a bigger share of the world market if US & Europe quit producing fossil fuels.
Amazing how in as little as ten years Government energy policy went from…
– renewables will provide all the energy you’ll need…
To
– smart meters to regulate how much you use.
Jim Karlock, you salty ol’ dog! It’s great to read your rants about how the Chinese Communist Party is behind renewable energy. Are you still crawling around on your hands and knees at city council meetings?
“what got him kicked out was when he went to retrieve a microphone he had placed on a table the candidates were seated at. She said Karlock, who is fairly tall, tried to stealthily crawl up to the table to get his microphone while candidates for Washougal City Council were speaking.”
https://web.archive.org/web/20230330113933/https://blogs.columbian.com/all-politics-is-local/jim-karlock-got-kicked-out-of-a-league-of-women-voters-forum/
Don’t be mistaken: the climate change scam is all about eliminating the middle class and coalescing power and money within the global elite sphere of influence. The rest of us will either freeze to death or be forced to eat bugs to avoid starvation, and don’t think that a single one of them care. Ultimately, though, there are a LOT more of us than them, and that means they will lose in the end once the mob mentality takes hold.