Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy

The report finds broad support among U.S. registered voters for clean energy research, energy efficiency in low-income communities, and transitioning to 100% clean energy by 2050. While 68% support the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) after reading a description, only 41% believe it will increase clean energy innovation and 34% believe it will reduce global warming. There is a strong consensus (75%) that schools should teach children about global warming, yet only 12% of voters believe the U.S. government is responding well to the issue.

• Global warming was a significant factor for 45% of registered voters who participated in the 2022 election, with 43% stating it was "one of several important issues" and 2% calling it "the single most important issue".
• A majority of registered voters view climate and energy as government priorities, with 52% stating global warming should be a high or very high priority and 65% stating the development of clean energy sources should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress.
• There is strong support for specific climate policies: 79% support renewable energy research, 78% support energy efficiency funding for low-income residential buildings, 74% support regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant, and 66% support transitioning the U.S. economy to 100% clean energy by 2050.
• Voters support conservation and restoration efforts, including 84% supporting federal funding for farmers to improve soil carbon storage, and 78% supporting jobs programs to hire unemployed coal or oil and gas workers to close old mines and abandoned wells.
• While 79% of registered voters support renewable energy generation on public land, support for fossil fuel production remains significant, with 59% supporting expanded offshore drilling and 56% supporting fossil fuel drilling and mining on public land.
• Support for climate-friendly infrastructure is generally high nationally, but slightly lower locally, suggesting some "NIMBYism". For example, 66% support solar farms in the U.S. compared to 61% locally, and 65% support wind farms in the U.S. compared to 57% locally.
• Regarding the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), 68% of registered voters support the law after reading a description. However, only 41% believe it will increase clean energy innovation, and fewer than 35% believe it will reduce global warming (34%), the cost of health care (27%), or inflation (24%).
• There is a strong demand for corporate and industry action, with 66% of registered voters stating they should do more to address global warming. Conversely, only 12% of voters believe the U.S. government is currently responding well to the issue.
• Actual political engagement is low compared to stated willingness; while 49% say they would sign a petition if asked by someone they respect, only 16% have signed one in the past year. Similarly, 31% would donate money, but only 11% have done so.
• A large majority of registered voters (75%) believe that schools should teach children about the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to global warming.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2022). Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2023/03/climate-change-american-mind-politics-policy-december-2022.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy. 2022. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2023/03/climate-change-american-mind-politics-policy-december-2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy |date=December 2022 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2023/03/climate-change-american-mind-politics-policy-december-2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2022climate, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics \& Policy}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2022}, month = dec, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2023/03/climate-change-american-mind-politics-policy-december-2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }