Politics & Global Warming, April 2020
Summary
A survey of 1,029 U.S. adults conducted in April 2020 reveals that while 75% of registered voters believe global warming is happening, views on its causes and the urgency of action vary significantly by political affiliation. Despite these divisions, there is broad cross-party support for renewable energy research, public land use for clean energy, and the Paris Climate Agreement. The report also finds that a candidate's position on global warming is a 'very important' voting factor for 43% of registered voters.
Key insights
- Public perception of global warming is split along political lines: 75% of registered voters believe it is happening, but this drops to 47% among conservative Republicans. Similarly, 61% of registered voters believe human activities cause global warming, compared to only 30% of conservative Republicans.
- Climate change is a significant factor for the 2020 presidential election, with 43% of registered voters stating a candidate's position on global warming is 'very important'. Voters are more likely to support a candidate who favors action to reduce global warming (49%) than one who opposes it (10%).
- There is strong majority support among registered voters for several clean energy and climate policies, including funding renewable energy research (87%), generating renewable energy on public land (86%), and providing tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels (83%).
- Support for specific carbon pricing and international frameworks is notable: 68% of registered voters support a Revenue-Neutral Carbon Tax, 60% support a Fee and Dividend system, and 77% support U.S. participation in the Paris Climate Agreement.
- Voters generally oppose the expansion of fossil fuel production, with only 30% supporting drilling for oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and 45% supporting drilling and mining fossil fuels on public land in the U.S.
Cite the original document
- APA
- A., L., E., M., S., R., J., K., M., B., P., B., A., G., M., G., & X., W. (2020). Politics & Global Warming, April 2020. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/politics-global-warming-april-2020/
- Chicago
- A., Leiserowitz,, Maibach, E., Rosenthal, S., Kotcher, J., Ballew, M., Bergquist, P., Gustafson, A., Goldberg, M., and Wang, X. Politics & Global Warming, April 2020. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2020. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/politics-global-warming-april-2020/.
- Wikipedia
- {{cite report |last1=A. |first1=Leiserowitz, |last2=E. |first2=Maibach, |last3=S. |first3=Rosenthal, |last4=J. |first4=Kotcher, |last5=M. |first5=Ballew, |last6=P. |first6=Bergquist, |last7=A. |first7=Gustafson, |last8=M. |first8=Goldberg, |last9=X. |first9=Wang, |title=Politics & Global Warming, April 2020 |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=11 June 2020 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/politics-global-warming-april-2020/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}
- BibTeX
- @techreport{a2020politics, author = {A., Leiserowitz, and E., Maibach, and S., Rosenthal, and J., Kotcher, and M., Ballew, and P., Bergquist, and A., Gustafson, and M., Goldberg, and X., Wang,}, title = {{Politics \& Global Warming, April 2020}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2020}, month = jun, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/politics-global-warming-april-2020/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }
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