Global Warming’s Six Americas and the Election 2016

The document analyzes the 'Six Americas' framework to show that while climate change is a top-tier voting issue only for the 'Alarmed' segment (17% of the population), candidates supporting climate action are more likely to attract the 'Concerned' and 'Cautious' groups. Conversely, only the 'Dismissive' group (10% of the population) is more likely to vote for a candidate who opposes climate action. The data, from a March 2016 survey of 1,204 adults, indicates that 45% of Americans fall into the most engaged segments (Alarmed and Concerned), while 21% are skeptical (Doubtful and Dismissive).

• As of March 2016, 45% of Americans are in the most engaged segments (Alarmed and Concerned), 34% are in the middle segments (Cautious and Disengaged), and 21% are in the skeptical segments (Doubtful and Dismissive).
• Climate change and clean energy are critical voting priorities for the Alarmed segment, with over 80% stating these issues are very or extremely important, whereas they are the least important of 23 assessed issues for other segments.
• Candidate preferences in the 2016 election correlate strongly with climate segments: 64% of the Alarmed prefer Hillary Clinton, while 61% of the Dismissive prefer Donald Trump.
• Support for climate action generally benefits candidates among the Alarmed and Concerned, while only the Dismissive segment (54%) is more likely to vote for a candidate who opposes such action.
• The Alarmed segment shows the highest willingness to engage in climate activism, with 32% either currently participating in or definitely intending to join a campaign to influence elected officials.

APA

Leiserowitz, A., Feinberg, G., Rosenthal, S., Maibach, E., & Roser-Renouf, C. (2016). Global Warming’s Six Americas and the Election 2016. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/global-warmings-six-americas-and-the-election-2016/

Chicago

Leiserowitz, Anthony, Geoff Feinberg, Seth Rosenthal, Edward Maibach, and Connie Roser-Renouf. Global Warming’s Six Americas and the Election 2016. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2016. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/global-warmings-six-americas-and-the-election-2016/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Leiserowitz |first1=Anthony |last2=Feinberg |first2=Geoff |last3=Rosenthal |first3=Seth |last4=Maibach |first4=Edward |last5=Roser-Renouf |first5=Connie |title=Global Warming’s Six Americas and the Election 2016 |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=12 July 2016 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/global-warmings-six-americas-and-the-election-2016/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{leiserowitz2016global, author = {Leiserowitz, Anthony and Feinberg, Geoff and Rosenthal, Seth and Maibach, Edward and Roser-Renouf, Connie}, title = {{Global Warming’s Six Americas and the Election 2016}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2016}, month = jul, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/global-warmings-six-americas-and-the-election-2016/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }