Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy

The report finds broad support among registered U.S. voters for clean energy research, tax rebates for energy efficiency, and conservation policies, though views on offshore drilling and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 vary by political affiliation. While many voters believe corporations and government should do more to address global warming, few have engaged in significant political action in the past year, and only 11% believe the U.S. government is responding well to the issue.

• A majority of registered voters believe that both global warming and the development of clean energy should be high priorities for the U.S. president and Congress, with 54% and 66% support respectively.
• There is strong majority support among registered voters for several clean energy and pollution-reduction policies, including renewable energy research (79%), tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels (76%), and regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant (74%).
• Registered voters show high support for conservation and restoration, with 82% supporting federal funding for farmers to improve soil carbon storage and 81% supporting more parks and green spaces in low-income communities and communities of color.
• While most voters support clean energy, a majority (57%) support expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast.
• Support for local climate-friendly infrastructure is common, with majorities favoring solar farms (64%), wind farms (57%), and electric vehicle charging stations (56%), though support for local nuclear power plants is lower at 34%.
• A majority of registered voters (57%) would support a U.S. president declaring global warming a national emergency if Congress fails to take further action.
• The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) is supported by 71% of registered voters after they read a description of the law, although 40% of voters had heard nothing at all about it prior to the survey.
• Voters believe various entities should do more to address global warming, most notably corporations and industry (70%), the U.S. Congress (63%), and the Republican Party (62%).
• There is very low confidence in the current U.S. government response to global warming, with only 11% of registered voters agreeing that the government is responding well.
• Actual political engagement over the past year has been low: 17% signed a petition, 12% donated money, and 5% volunteered for a global warming organization.
• Approximately 51% of registered voters are moderately confident that collective action by like-minded citizens can influence the federal government's approach to global warming, and 47% feel the same regarding corporations.

APA

Center for Climate Change Communication (2023). Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/climate-change-american-mind-politics-policy-spring-2023.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Change Communication. Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy. 2023. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/climate-change-american-mind-politics-policy-spring-2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy |date=March 2023 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/climate-change-american-mind-politics-policy-spring-2023.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimatechangecommunication2023climate, author = {{Center for Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics \& Policy}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/climate-change-american-mind-politics-policy-spring-2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }