Politics & Global Warming

The report finds that a majority of US registered voters believe global warming is happening and human-caused, with notable increases in these beliefs among Republicans. There is broad cross-party support for clean energy policies like the Green New Deal and carbon taxes, though voters remain split on fossil fuel expansion. While many express a willingness to take collective action, few have actually contacted elected officials in the past year.

• A majority of registered voters (74%) believe global warming is occurring, with significant support among liberal Democrats (98%) and liberal/moderate Republicans (70%). Belief among conservative Republicans is lower at 42%, though this represents a five percentage point increase since October 2017.
• 62% of registered voters believe global warming is primarily caused by human activities, the highest level since surveys began in 2008. This includes 90% of liberal Democrats and 53% of liberal/moderate Republicans, while only 28% of conservative Republicans agree.
• Two-thirds of registered voters (67%) express worry about global warming, including 85% of liberal Democrats and 54% of liberal/moderate Republicans. Worry among conservative Republicans is at 32%, a nine-point increase since October 2017.
• There is broad support for the Green New Deal among registered voters (81%), including 92% of Democrats, 88% of Independents, and 64% of Republicans.
• Registered voters show strong support for several carbon-reduction policies: 71% support a revenue-neutral carbon tax and 71% support the Clean Power Plan's strict carbon dioxide emission limits on coal-fired power plants. A 'Fee and Dividend' policy is supported by 63% of voters.
• High levels of support exist for clean energy incentives and regulation: 88% support funding renewable energy research, 85% support tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels, and 79% support regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant.
• Voters are divided on fossil fuel production: 48% support expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas, while only 32% support drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
• A majority of registered voters (75%) believe corporations and industry should do more to address global warming. Additionally, 69% believe the United States should reduce greenhouse gas emissions regardless of the actions of other countries.
• Voters feel more capable of influencing local than national decision-makers. 51% are confident they can influence local businesses and 50% can influence local government, compared to 39% for corporations and 38% for the federal government.
• Despite expressed willingness to engage in organized efforts, actual activity is low; only 13% of registered voters report contacting an elected official to urge action on global warming in the past 12 months.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2018). Politics & Global Warming. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2019/02/Global-Warming-Policy-Politics-December-2018.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Politics & Global Warming. 2018. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2019/02/Global-Warming-Policy-Politics-December-2018.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Politics & Global Warming |date=December 2018 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2019/02/Global-Warming-Policy-Politics-December-2018.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2018politics, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Politics \& Global Warming}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2018}, month = dec, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2019/02/Global-Warming-Policy-Politics-December-2018.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }