RACE, ETHNICITY and Public Responses to Climate Change

The report finds that Hispanics, African Americans, and other minority groups are often as supportive of, or more supportive of, national climate and energy policies than white Americans, challenging the perception that climate change is primarily a concern of the white upper-middle class.

• In 2008, there was broad-based support for most climate policies, with 92% of Americans supporting increased funding for renewable energy research, 85% supporting tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels, and 80% supporting the regulation of carbon dioxide as a pollutant.
• Minority groups frequently demonstrated stronger support for climate and energy policies than non-Hispanic whites, including support for policies that would incur personal costs.
• African Americans were the most likely group to support the regulation of carbon dioxide as a pollutant (89%), while Hispanics showed the highest level of strong support for this policy (40%).
• Support for an international treaty to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 90% by 2050 was particularly high among Hispanics (77%) and other racial/ethnic groups (76%).
• A follow-up survey in 2010 showed a general decline in support for several policies as the economy worsened, including a 14-point drop for renewable portfolio standards and a 9-point drop for carbon dioxide regulation, though large majorities still supported most measures.
• Public support for a gasoline tax was low across all groups, with only 33% of the general public supporting a 25 cent per gallon increase, although African Americans were slightly more supportive (43%) than the average.
• Financial constraints are a primary barrier to home energy efficiency improvements; for example, 56% of those who wanted to install attic insulation but probably would not cited an inability to afford it.
• Minority groups expressed higher levels of concern regarding the impact of global warming on themselves and their health compared to white Americans, as shown by average scores on a 7-point scale.
• There is a significant disparity in the perceived effectiveness of individual political action; for instance, only 2% of the national average viewed writing to government officials as 'highly effective' in prompting action on global warming.

APA

Leiserowitz, A., & Akerlof, K. (2010). RACE, ETHNICITY and Public Responses to Climate Change. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2010_04_Race-Ethnicity-and-Public-Responses-to-Climate-Change.pdf

Chicago

Leiserowitz, Anthony, and Karen Akerlof. RACE, ETHNICITY and Public Responses to Climate Change. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2010. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2010_04_Race-Ethnicity-and-Public-Responses-to-Climate-Change.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Leiserowitz |first1=Anthony |last2=Akerlof |first2=Karen |title=RACE, ETHNICITY and Public Responses to Climate Change |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=2010 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2010_04_Race-Ethnicity-and-Public-Responses-to-Climate-Change.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{leiserowitz2010race, author = {Leiserowitz, Anthony and Akerlof, Karen}, title = {{RACE, ETHNICITY and Public Responses to Climate Change}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2010}, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2010_04_Race-Ethnicity-and-Public-Responses-to-Climate-Change.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }