Politics & Global Warming

The report finds that while a majority of U.S. registered voters support various clean energy policies and prefer candidates who take action on global warming, the issue ranks relatively low as a primary voting priority. There is significant political polarization, with strong support for climate action among Democrats and substantial opposition or indifference among conservative Republicans. Voters generally trust scientific and medical sources over political or industry ones and express widespread dissatisfaction with the U.S. government's response to global warming.

• Global warming is a low priority for registered voters when deciding on candidates for the 2022 congressional elections, ranking 24th among 29 issues in terms of being 'very important' (39%) and 10th when asked for the single most important issue (4%).
• A majority of registered voters (58%) prefer a candidate who supports action on global warming, compared to 17% who prefer a candidate who opposes such action.
• There is broad support among registered voters for specific clean energy and efficiency policies, including tax incentives for energy-efficient buildings (87%), renewable energy research (79%), and tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels (77%).
• Registered voters show strong support for conservation and restoration, with 86% supporting the re-establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps and 80% supporting jobs programs to close abandoned gas wells or coal mines.
• Public opinion on the economic impact of clean energy is split: 52% believe these policies will improve economic growth and create jobs, while 30% believe they will reduce growth and cost jobs.
• Corporations and industry are viewed as the entities that should do the most to address global warming, with 68% of registered voters stating they should do more.
• Local government priorities for global warming are split, with 48% of voters believing mitigation and adaptation should be prioritized equally, while 23% prioritize mitigation and 12% prioritize adaptation.
• There is a gap between the willingness of voters to take political action and their actual behavior; for example, 53% say they would sign a petition, but only 19% have done so in the past year.
• Voters most trust NASA (74%), family and friends (74%), and climate scientists (71%) as information sources, while trust is lowest for the Fox News Channel (30%) and oil and gas companies (24%).
• Developing countries (68%) and fossil fuel companies (66%) are the most blamed for global warming among registered voters.
• Widespread dissatisfaction exists regarding the U.S. government's response to global warming, with only 14% of registered voters agreeing that the government is responding well.

APA

Center for Climate Change Communication (2022). Politics & Global Warming. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/politics-global-warming-april-2022b.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Change Communication. Politics & Global Warming. 2022. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/politics-global-warming-april-2022b.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Change Communication |title=Politics & Global Warming |date=April 2022 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/politics-global-warming-april-2022b.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimatechangecommunication2022politics, author = {{Center for Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Politics \& Global Warming}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2022}, month = apr, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/politics-global-warming-april-2022b.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }