Politics & Global Warming

A September 2021 survey of 898 registered U.S. voters reveals broad support for clean energy policies and the prioritization of global warming by the federal government, though significant ideological divides persist regarding economic impacts and the use of national emergency declarations.

• A majority of registered voters believe that global warming and the development of clean energy should be high priorities for the U.S. president and Congress, with 60% and 69% support respectively.
• There is widespread support among registered voters for various climate-friendly policies, including energy efficiency tax incentives (86%), renewable energy research (81%), and transitioning the U.S. economy to 100% clean energy by 2050 (70%).
• While 63% of registered voters support a U.S. president declaring global warming a national emergency if Congress fails to act, this is highly polarized, with 79% of conservative Republicans opposing such a move.
• Voters are divided on the economic impact of clean energy; 52% believe these policies will improve economic growth and jobs, while 31% believe they will reduce growth and cost jobs.
• A large majority of registered voters (73%) believe that corporations and industry should do more to address global warming.
• There is strong cross-partisan support for local climate-friendly policies, such as funding for home energy-efficiency improvements (85%) and increasing public transportation (85%).
• Despite a willingness to take political action—such as 57% saying they would sign a petition—actual engagement over the previous year was low, with only 19% having signed a petition and 6% having volunteered their time.
• A substantial majority of registered voters (78%) support the inclusion of global warming's causes, consequences, and solutions in school curricula.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2021). Politics & Global Warming. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2021/10/politics-global-warming-september-2021b.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Politics & Global Warming. 2021. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2021/10/politics-global-warming-september-2021b.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Politics & Global Warming |date=September 2021 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2021/10/politics-global-warming-september-2021b.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2021politics, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Politics \& Global Warming}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2021/10/politics-global-warming-september-2021b.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }