Among Republicans, Catholics More Likely to Believe That Global Warming Is Happening and Support Policies to Reduce It

The document finds that Catholic Republicans are more likely than non-Catholic Republicans to believe global warming is happening, attribute it to human activities, and support climate policies, a trend that persists even among conservative Republicans.

• Catholic Republicans in the U.S. are more likely to believe global warming is occurring and is human-caused compared to non-Catholic Republicans. Specifically, 51% of Catholic Republicans believe global warming is happening, compared to 42% of non-Catholic Republicans, and 36% of Catholic Republicans attribute it mostly to human activities, versus 30% of non-Catholic Republicans.
• Catholic Republicans exhibit higher levels of concern regarding global warming and a greater awareness of scientific consensus than their non-Catholic counterparts. 36% of Catholic Republicans report being somewhat or very worried, compared to 30% of non-Catholic Republicans. Additionally, 30% of Catholic Republicans know that most scientists agree global warming is happening, while only 25% of non-Catholic Republicans do.
• Catholic Republicans show stronger support for climate-related policies than non-Catholic Republicans. This includes higher support for funding renewable energy research (68% vs 63%) and providing tax rebates for solar panels or energy-efficient vehicles (71% vs 64%).
• The disparity in beliefs and concern persists among conservative Republicans, although Catholic Republicans are generally less likely to self-identify as conservative (59%) than non-Catholic Republicans (69%). Among those identifying as conservative, 42% of Catholics believe global warming is happening compared to 35% of non-Catholics, and 28% of Catholics are worried compared to 21% of non-Catholics.
• The observed differences in climate beliefs and attitudes between Catholics and non-Catholics are specific to Republicans; few such differences were found among Democrats or Independents.

APA

Grecni, Z. (2015). Among Republicans, Catholics More Likely to Believe That Global Warming Is Happening and Support Policies to Reduce It. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/among-republicans-catholics-more-likely-to-believe-that-global-warming-is-happening-and-support-policies-to-reduce-it/

Chicago

Grecni, Zena. Among Republicans, Catholics More Likely to Believe That Global Warming Is Happening and Support Policies to Reduce It. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2015. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/among-republicans-catholics-more-likely-to-believe-that-global-warming-is-happening-and-support-policies-to-reduce-it/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Grecni |first1=Zena |title=Among Republicans, Catholics More Likely to Believe That Global Warming Is Happening and Support Policies to Reduce It |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=18 June 2015 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/among-republicans-catholics-more-likely-to-believe-that-global-warming-is-happening-and-support-policies-to-reduce-it/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{grecni2015among, author = {Grecni, Zena}, title = {{Among Republicans, Catholics More Likely to Believe That Global Warming Is Happening and Support Policies to Reduce It}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2015}, month = jun, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/among-republicans-catholics-more-likely-to-believe-that-global-warming-is-happening-and-support-policies-to-reduce-it/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }