Politics & Global Warming

The report finds that while 73% of registered US voters believe global warming is happening, there is a significant divide between conservative Republicans and other political groups. Most voters support clean energy research and carbon regulation, and are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who supports climate action than one who opposes it.

• Belief that global warming is occurring has increased, with 73% of registered voters now agreeing, up 7 percentage points since Spring 2014. This includes 95% of liberal Democrats, 80% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 74% of Independents, and 71% of liberal/moderate Republicans.
• Conservative Republicans show the largest shift in belief over two years, with an increase of 19 percentage points, though only 47% currently believe global warming is happening.
• A majority of registered voters (56%) believe global warming is caused mostly by human activities, but this view is strongly split by party: 75% of Democrats and 49% of liberal/moderate Republicans agree, compared to only 26% of conservative Republicans.
• There is a significant gap between scientific consensus and public understanding; only 16% of voters are aware that 90% or more of climate scientists are convinced that human-caused global warming is happening.
• Voters are more likely to support a presidential candidate who favors climate action than one who opposes it. 43% of registered voters would be more likely to vote for a candidate strongly supporting action, while 45% would be less likely to vote for a candidate who strongly opposes such action.
• Global warming is a low priority for the general electorate, ranking 19th out of 23 issues influencing the 2016 presidential vote, although it is the 10th most important issue for Democrats.
• Public optimism regarding legislative action is low, with only 39% of Americans believing the people can convince Congress to pass ambitious global warming legislation.
• Broad support exists for several energy policies: 84% support funding renewable energy research (solar and wind), 81% support tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels, 75% support regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant, and 68% support a carbon tax for fossil fuel companies used to reduce other taxes.
• 70% of registered voters support strict carbon dioxide emission limits on existing coal-fired power plants, even if electricity costs increase, though support among conservative Republicans is only 37%.
• A majority of registered voters (65%) believe the U.S. should reduce greenhouse gas emissions regardless of the actions of other countries.
• There is strong cross-party agreement that the private sector should do more, with 74% of registered voters stating corporations and industry should do 'much more' or 'more' to address global warming.

APA

Center for Climate Change Communication (2016). Politics & Global Warming. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Politics-and-Global-Warming-Spring-2016.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Change Communication. Politics & Global Warming. 2016. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Politics-and-Global-Warming-Spring-2016.pdf.

Wikipedia

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

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimatechangecommunication2016politics, author = {{Center for Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Politics \& Global Warming}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2016}, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Politics-and-Global-Warming-Spring-2016.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }