Pulse on Power

As electricity demand surges, a new WSP in the U.S. survey reveals Americans are as concerned about keeping the lights on as they are about keeping energy costs down—and many are willing to pay more to support a stronger, more reliable electric grid.

2025 Pulse Report: Energy reveals that for the majority of the public, long-term dependability is on equal footing with affordability as a priority.

The survey of 2,800 adults, conducted in July by The Harris Poll on behalf of WSP, shows that 83 percent of Americans are concerned about the affordability of electricity, a slight increase from 81 percent when the survey was last conducted in December 2023.

Interestingly, a majority of Americans prioritize reliability over cost. Sixty-five percent would pay slightly more for electricity if it meant a more reliable grid, up from 61 percent in 2023. Beyond cost, concerns about grid safety (80 percent), dependability (78 percent), and the climate impact of fossil fuels (69 percent) rated high among the participants.

“Stakeholder support is essential to advance energy projects that expand transmission capacity and introduce new sources of energy,” said Mike Case, Power and Energy executive and senior vice president at WSP in the U.S. “Efforts today will shape energy infrastructure for the next several decades, making it critical to understand how to address concerns and garner support for everything from new transmission projects to energy storage.”

As energy demands grow and put more of a strain on the U.S. power infrastructure—driven by artificial intelligence, electrification and domestic manufacturing—these insights offer a roadmap for policymakers, utilities and community leaders to build a grid that meets the needs of today, and tomorrow.

Fortunately, confidence in local utilities remains relatively strong, with 69 percent believing their utility is prepared to prevent outages during natural disasters.

Click here to read more and download the 2025 WSP Pulse Report: Energy.