Politics & Global Warming

The report finds that while Democrats are most likely to believe in human-caused global warming and support climate policies, liberal and moderate Republicans often align with the mainstream public, whereas conservative Republicans hold distinctly different views. A majority of registered voters support increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy to reduce fossil fuel dependence, and most are more likely to vote for candidates who support climate action than those who oppose it. However, there is a widespread belief across the political spectrum that individual citizens have relatively little influence on government decisions compared to large campaign contributors and fossil fuel companies.

• There is a significant ideological divide within the Republican Party; liberal and moderate Republicans often share views with moderate/conservative Democrats, while conservative Republicans' views are often distinct from the rest of the American public.
• A majority of registered voters (66%) believe global warming is happening, but this is strongly split by ideology: 88% of Democrats and 61% of liberal/moderate Republicans agree, compared to only 28% of conservative Republicans.
• Just over half of registered voters (51%) attribute global warming primarily to human activities, with strong support among Democrats (69%) and liberal/moderate Republicans (47%), but low agreement among conservative Republicans (22%).
• Voters are more likely to support candidates who favor climate action; they are more than twice as likely to vote for a candidate who strongly supports reducing global warming (45%) than one who strongly opposes it (15%).
• There is broad support for energy efficiency and renewable energy laws to reduce fossil fuel dependence (66%), though conservative Republicans are the least supportive group at 42%.
• A majority of Americans (64%) support strict carbon dioxide emission limits on existing coal-fired power plants, even if it increases electricity costs, with the highest support from Democrats (82%) and liberal/moderate Republicans (65%).
• Most Americans (62%) believe the United States should reduce greenhouse gas emissions regardless of the actions of other countries.
• Americans perceive that elected officials are most influenced by large campaign contributors (71%) and fossil fuel companies (67%), while those who share their own views on global warming are seen as having the least influence.
• There is a significant gap between the actual scientific consensus on human-caused global warming (97%) and the American public's perception, with the average estimate being only half of scientists.
• Only 32% of Americans are aware that global warming is currently harming people in the United States, despite evidence of flooding, wildfires, and erosion.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2014). Politics & Global Warming. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2014/06/Politics-and-Global-Warming-Spring-2014.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Politics & Global Warming. 2014. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2014/06/Politics-and-Global-Warming-Spring-2014.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Politics & Global Warming |date=2014 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2014/06/Politics-and-Global-Warming-Spring-2014.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2014politics, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Politics \& Global Warming}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2014}, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2014/06/Politics-and-Global-Warming-Spring-2014.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }