Pew Research: The U.S. Is at 10%. The World Is at 25%. That's a Policy Choice.

Gas prices are surging — and while Americans feel it at the pump every single day, much of the world has already been building its way out of this dependence.

Globally, electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids now account for 25% of all new car sales. In the United States, that number is 10%. That gap is not a minor variance. It is a policy choice — and American families are paying for it, in dollars and in carbon.

In eight countries, at least half of all new cars sold in 2025 were electric or hybrid. Norway leads the world at 97%. Denmark is at 71%. Sweden, 61%. China crossed the 50% threshold for the first time last year. These are not small, niche markets. These are mainstream economies making a different bet — on energy independence, on lower fuel costs, on a livable planet — while the current administration retreats from every climate commitment that would move the U.S. in the same direction.

A supermajority of Americans are paying attention. About 44% of U.S. adults say they would seriously consider a hybrid for their next vehicle purchase, and 32% say the same about a fully electric car. That survey was taken just weeks into the U.S. military conflict with Iran — as gas prices climbed and the connection between fossil fuel dependence and foreign policy became impossible to ignore.

The world is not waiting for the United States to catch up. And the planet cannot afford for us to keep stalling. The sustainability of our future is directly tied to the energy choices we make — and the leaders we elect to make them.

Environmental policy is economic policy. And in 2026, our vote is our power.

🔗 Read the full Pew Research report here.