Which racial/ethnic groups care most about climate change?

Based on two 2019 surveys, the report finds that Hispanics/Latinos and African Americans in the U.S. are more likely to be 'Alarmed' or 'Concerned' about global warming and more willing to engage in climate activism than Whites. While a majority of Hispanic/Latino registered voters view global warming as 'very important' to their 2020 vote, the issue ranks lower in priority for African Americans and Whites. The authors suggest these differences may be driven by higher exposure to environmental hazards among people of color and differences in political party identification.

• Hispanics/Latinos and African Americans are more likely to be categorized as 'Alarmed' or 'Concerned' regarding global warming compared to Whites, while Whites are more likely to be 'Doubtful' or 'Dismissive'. Specifically, 69% of Hispanics/Latinos and 57% of African Americans are Alarmed or Concerned, compared to 49% of Whites; conversely, 27% of Whites are Doubtful or Dismissive, compared to 11% of Hispanics/Latinos and 12% of African Americans.
• People of color report a higher willingness to join campaigns to pressure elected officials for climate action. 37% of Hispanics/Latinos and 36% of African Americans say they would 'definitely' or 'probably' join such a campaign, compared to 22% of Whites.
• Among registered voters, global warming is a high priority for Hispanics/Latinos, with 57% stating it will be 'very important' to their 2020 Presidential Election vote (ranking 6th). For African Americans, 53% consider it 'very important', but it ranks 16th in priority. For Whites, 35% consider it 'very important', and it ranks 17th.
• Political party identification partially explains the differences in climate concern. When controlling for party identification, African Americans are no more likely than Whites to be Alarmed or Concerned, although Hispanics/Latinos remain more Alarmed or Concerned than Whites.
• The authors suggest that higher levels of concern and activism among people of color may be linked to greater exposure and vulnerability to environmental hazards, such as air pollution.

APA

Ballew, M., Maibach, E., Kotcher, J., Bergquist, P., Rosenthal, S., Marlon, J., & Leiserowitz, A. (2020). Which racial/ethnic groups care most about climate change? Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/which-racial-ethnic-groups-care-most-about-climate-change/

Chicago

Ballew, Matthew, Edward Maibach, John Kotcher, Parrish Bergquist, Seth Rosenthal, Jennifer Marlon, and Anthony Leiserowitz. Which racial/ethnic groups care most about climate change? Center for Climate Change Communication, 2020. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/which-racial-ethnic-groups-care-most-about-climate-change/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ballew |first1=Matthew |last2=Maibach |first2=Edward |last3=Kotcher |first3=John |last4=Bergquist |first4=Parrish |last5=Rosenthal |first5=Seth |last6=Marlon |first6=Jennifer |last7=Leiserowitz |first7=Anthony |title=Which racial/ethnic groups care most about climate change? |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=15 April 2020 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/which-racial-ethnic-groups-care-most-about-climate-change/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ballew2020which, author = {Ballew, Matthew and Maibach, Edward and Kotcher, John and Bergquist, Parrish and Rosenthal, Seth and Marlon, Jennifer and Leiserowitz, Anthony}, title = {{Which racial/ethnic groups care most about climate change?}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/which-racial-ethnic-groups-care-most-about-climate-change/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }