Global Warming and the U.S. Presidential Election, Spring 2016

The report finds a deep partisan divide in climate perceptions, with supporters of Democratic candidates (Sanders and Clinton) and some Republican candidates (Kasich and Trump) generally believing global warming is happening, while Ted Cruz supporters are the most skeptical. While a broad majority of voters support renewable energy research and tax rebates for energy efficiency, support for carbon taxes and strict emission limits on coal plants drops significantly among Republican supporters, particularly those of Ted Cruz. Global warming is viewed as a very important voting issue primarily by Sanders and Clinton supporters, whereas it ranks low for supporters of Republican candidates.

• Most supporters of the Democratic and Republican candidates believe global warming is occurring, with the exception of Ted Cruz supporters, where only 38% believe it is happening. Support for the belief that global warming is happening is highest among Sanders (93%) and Clinton (92%) supporters, followed by Kasich (71%) and Trump (56%) supporters.
• There is a sharp divide regarding the cause of global warming: 79% of Sanders and 76% of Clinton supporters attribute it mostly to human activities, while 60% of Cruz and 55% of Trump supporters attribute it to natural changes in the environment. Kasich supporters are split, with 49% citing human causes and 46% citing natural changes.
• Awareness of the scientific consensus that human-caused global warming is happening is low across all groups, with fewer than half of any candidate's supporters aware of it. Democratic supporters are the most aware (Sanders: 38%, Clinton: 27%), while Republican supporters show very low understanding (Kasich: 11%, Trump: 3%, Cruz: 2%).
• Worry about global warming is prevalent among Democratic supporters (Clinton: 83%, Sanders: 80%) but significantly lower among Republican supporters, with only 17% of Cruz supporters expressing worry.
• Global warming is a significant voting priority for Democratic supporters, ranking 5th for Sanders voters (59% say it is "very important") and 11th for Clinton supporters (51% say it is "very important"). In contrast, it is the least important of 23 issues for Republican supporters (Trump: 18%, Kasich: 13%, Cruz: 13%).
• Voters across the political spectrum generally support funding for renewable energy research (solar and wind) and tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels, though support is strongest among Democratic supporters.
• Support for regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant and implementing a carbon tax to reduce other taxes is high among Democratic supporters and moderate among some Republican supporters, but low among Cruz supporters (47% for regulation and 27% for the carbon tax).
• A majority of Sanders, Clinton, and Kasich supporters, as well as half of Trump supporters, support strict CO2 emission limits on coal-fired power plants despite potential electricity cost increases. Only 36% of Cruz supporters agree.
• Most supporters of Democratic candidates and over half of Kasich voters believe the U.S. should reduce greenhouse gas emissions regardless of other countries' actions. This is supported by 49% of Trump supporters and 40% of Cruz supporters.
• There is a stark contrast in support for offshore drilling: significant majorities of Republican supporters favor it (Cruz: 85%, Trump: 75%, Kasich: 67%), while fewer than half of Clinton (42%) and Sanders (35%) supporters support the expansion.

APA

Center for Climate Change Communication (2016). Global Warming and the U.S. Presidential Election, Spring 2016. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Global-Warming-POTUS-Election-2016.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Change Communication. Global Warming and the U.S. Presidential Election, Spring 2016. 2016. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Global-Warming-POTUS-Election-2016.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Change Communication |title=Global Warming and the U.S. Presidential Election, Spring 2016 |date=2016 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Global-Warming-POTUS-Election-2016.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimatechangecommunication2016global, author = {{Center for Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Global Warming and the U.S. Presidential Election, Spring 2016}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2016}, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Global-Warming-POTUS-Election-2016.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }