Politics and Global Warming

The report finds that while Democrats are generally more convinced of human-caused global warming than Republicans, liberal and moderate Republicans often align with the mainstream public and moderate Democrats. A significant majority of registered voters support various climate policies, including renewable energy research, tax rebates for energy efficiency, and carbon dioxide regulation, though conservative Republicans remain a distinct outlier in their skepticism and opposition to these measures.

• There is a significant divide within the Republican party; liberal and moderate Republicans often share views with moderate or conservative Democrats, whereas conservative Republicans' perspectives are distinctly different from the rest of the American public.
• A majority of registered voters (68%) believe global warming is occurring, and 52% believe it is primarily caused by human activities. Support for the reality of global warming is highest among liberal Democrats (92%) and lowest among conservative Republicans (43%).
• American registered voters generally underestimate the level of scientific consensus on climate change, with a median estimate of 59% of scientists being convinced of human-caused global warming, compared to an actual consensus of 97%.
• Broad support exists among registered voters for several climate-related policies: 84% support more renewable energy research, 80% support tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels, 74% support regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant, and 66% support a carbon tax on fossil fuel companies used to reduce other taxes.
• Regarding the 21st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, 62% of Americans viewed reaching an agreement to limit global warming as moderately or more important, though this support dropped to 36% among conservative Republicans.

APA

Team, M. 4. (2016). Politics and Global Warming. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/politics-and-gw-fall-2015/

Chicago

Team, Mason 4C. Politics and Global Warming. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2016. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/politics-and-gw-fall-2015/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Team |first1=Mason 4C |title=Politics and Global Warming |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=20 April 2016 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/politics-and-gw-fall-2015/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{team2016politics, author = {Team, Mason 4C}, title = {{Politics and Global Warming}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2016}, month = apr, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/politics-and-gw-fall-2015/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }