Politics & Global Warming

The November 2019 report by the Center for Climate Change Communication reveals that 73% of registered U.S. voters believe global warming is happening, though beliefs and policy support vary significantly by political party. While there is broad bipartisan support for renewable energy research and the Paris Climate Agreement, deep divisions persist regarding the causes of global warming and the expansion of fossil fuel production. The report also highlights an increase in the importance of global warming as a voting issue for the 2020 presidential election, particularly among Democrats.

• A majority of registered voters (73%) believe global warming is occurring, with high agreement among liberal Democrats (95%) and liberal/moderate Republicans (66%), but significantly lower agreement among conservative Republicans (41%).
• Fifty-nine percent of registered voters attribute global warming primarily to human activities, a view held by 84% of liberal Democrats and 72% of moderate/conservative Democrats, but only 25% of conservative Republicans.
• Two-thirds of registered voters (66%) express worry about global warming. Notably, worry among moderate/conservative Democrats increased by 20 percentage points over the five years preceding the November 2019 survey.
• There is strong bipartisan support for clean energy policies, including funding renewable energy research (87%), generating renewable energy on public land (86%), and providing tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels (82%).
• Registered voters are divided on fossil fuel production: 47% support expanding offshore drilling and 43% support drilling and mining on public land, while only 29% support drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• Support for a U.S. president declaring a national emergency to address global warming without Congress rose to 62% of registered voters, a 17 percentage-point increase from April 2019.
• The Paris Climate Agreement has broad support, with 76% of registered voters favoring U.S. participation and 66% opposing President Trump's decision to withdraw.
• Global warming has become a more prominent voting issue for the 2020 presidential election, ranking as the 11th most important issue for 45% of registered voters, up from 17th place in April 2019.
• A majority of registered voters (74%) believe corporations and industry should do more to address global warming, with the highest demand coming from Democrats (92%).
• There is widespread agreement (79%) that schools should teach children about the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to global warming.

APA

Center for Climate Change Communication (2019). Politics & Global Warming. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/politics-global-warming-november-2019b.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Change Communication. Politics & Global Warming. 2019. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/politics-global-warming-november-2019b.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Change Communication |title=Politics & Global Warming |date=November 2019 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/politics-global-warming-november-2019b.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimatechangecommunication2019politics, author = {{Center for Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Politics \& Global Warming}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/politics-global-warming-november-2019b.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }