Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Spring 2024

Report Summary

This report is based on findings from a nationally representative survey – Climate Change in the American Mind – conducted jointly by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. Interview dates: April 25 – May 4, 2024. Interviews: 1,031 adults (18+), 896 of whom are registered to vote. Average margin of error for registered voters: +/- 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

 

Climate Change in the American Mind is conducted jointly by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.

Principal Investigators:

Anthony Leiserowitz, PhD
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

Edward Maibach, MPH, PhD
George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication

Seth Rosenthal, PhD
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

John Kotcher, PhD
George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication

For all media and other inquiries, please email:

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication: Eric Fine ([email protected]) and Michaela Hobbs ([email protected])

George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication: Edward Maibach ([email protected]) and John Kotcher ([email protected])

Reading Notes

• This report includes only registered voters.
• References to Republicans and Democrats throughout include respondents who initially identify as either a Republican or Democrat, as well as those who do not initially identify as a Republican or Democrat but who say they “are closer to” one of those parties (i.e., “leaners”) in a follow-up question. The category “Independents” does not include any of these “leaners.”
• For tabulation purposes, percentage points are rounded to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given chart may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. Summed response categories (e.g., “strongly support” + “somewhat support”) are rounded after sums are calculated. For example, in some cases, the sum of 25% + 25% might be reported as 51% (e.g., 25.3% + 25.3% = 50.6%, which, after rounding, is 51%).
• Weighted percentages among registered voters of each of the groups discussed in this report:
• Democrats (total) including leaners: 47%
  • Liberal Democrats: 26%
  • Moderate/Conservative Democrats: 20%
    • (Moderate Democrats: 19%; Conservative Democrats: 2%)
  • Republicans (total) including leaners: 37%
    • Liberal/Moderate Republicans: 12%
      • (Liberal Republicans: 1%; Moderate Republicans: 11%)
    • Conservative Republicans: 24%
  • Independents excluding leaners: 11%
  • No party/Not interested in politics/No response: 5% (included in the results reported for “All Registered Voters” only)
• The full text of all survey items can be found in the data tables.

Executive Summary

Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population (n = 1,031; including the 896 registered voters whose data are included in this report), these findings describe how registered voters view a variety of domestic climate and energy policies. The survey was fielded from April 25 – May 4, 2024.

This executive summary mostly presents the results for all registered voters, while the main text of the report also breaks the results down by political party and ideology.

Global Warming as a Voting Issue

• 62% of registered voters would prefer to vote for a candidate for public office who supports action on global warming. This includes 97% of liberal Democrats, 81% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 62% of Independents, and 47% of liberal/moderate Republicans, but only 17% of conservative Republicans.
• About four in ten registered voters (39%) say a candidate’s position on global warming will be “very important” when they decide who they will vote for in the 2024 presidential election.
• Of 28 issues asked about, global warming is the 19th most highly ranked voting issue among registered voters (based on the percentage saying it is “very important”).
• When then asked to choose their most important voting issue, three percent of registered voters chose global warming, making it the 12th highest-ranked most important issue.

Global Warming and Clean Energy as Government Priorities

• 52% of registered voters think global warming should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress.
• 63% of registered voters think developing sources of clean energy should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress.

Policies to Reduce the Pollution that Causes Global Warming

Majorities of registered voters support a range of policies to reduce carbon pollution and promote clean energy. These include:

• 86% support federal funding to help farmers improve practices to protect and restore the soil so it absorbs and stores more carbon.
• 77% support a national program to train people who work in the fossil fuel industry for new jobs in the renewable energy industry.
• 77% support tax rebates to people who purchase energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels.
• 74% support regulating carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas) as a pollutant.
• 74% support tax credits or rebates to encourage people to buy electric appliances, such as heat pumps and induction stoves, that run on electricity instead of oil or gas.
• 66% support transitioning the U.S. economy from fossil fuels to 100% clean energy by 2050.

Energy Production

• 79% of registered voters support generating renewable energy on public land in the U.S.
• 53% support expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast.
• 48% support drilling and mining fossil fuels on public land in the U.S.

Building Climate-Friendly Energy Production and Distribution Infrastructure

Many registered voters support building clean energy infrastructure in their local area. This includes:

• Solar farms: 65%
• Wind farms: 58%
• High-voltage power lines to distribute clean energy: 54%
• Electric vehicle charging stations: 51%
• Nuclear power plants: 35%

Climate Justice Goals

Large majorities of registered voters support a variety of policies that promote climate justice goals. These include:

• 86% support creating more parks and green spaces in low-income communities and communities of color.
• 80% support strengthening enforcement of industrial pollution limits in low-income communities and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by air and water pollution.
• 78% support federal funding to make buildings in low-income communities more energy efficient.
• 73% support increasing federal funding to low-income communities and communities of color who are disproportionately impacted by air and water pollution.

Corporate Disclosure

Large majorities of registered voters support policies to require publicly traded companies to disclose their climate impacts by doing the following:

• Disclosing how much carbon pollution they produce (79%).
• Disclosing how global warming could affect their profits (73%).

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA)

On August 16, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law. The law aims to curb inflation, reduce prescription drug prices and the cost of health insurance, modernize the Internal Revenue Service, and invest in U.S. clean energy production.

• 39% of registered voters have heard either “a lot” (11%) or “some” (28%) about the IRA.
• After reading a short description of the IRA, 74% of registered voters support it.
• About half or fewer registered voters think the IRA will help future generations of people (54%), the health of Americans (51%), low-income communities and communities of color (48%), the economy and jobs in the U.S. (45%), their family (37%), or them personally (33%).

Energy Production as an Economic Issue

• 70% of registered voters either think policies that promote clean energy will improve economic growth and create jobs (50%) or that they will have no impact on growth or jobs (20%).
• 61% of registered voters think the clean energy industry will create more good jobs than the fossil fuel industry.

Who Should Act?

• Half or more registered voters say the following should do more to address global warming: Corporations and industry (69%), the Republican Party (62%), the U.S. Congress (62%), citizens themselves (61%), the Democratic Party (56%), their local government officials (56%), their governor (54%), President Biden (51%), the media (51%), and they themselves (49%).
• Only 15% of registered voters think the U.S. government is responding well to global warming.

Political Actions to Limit Global Warming

• 54% of registered voters say they would sign a petition about global warming if a person they like and respect asked them to, although only 20% say they have signed such a petition in the past year.
• If asked by a person they like and respect, 32% say they would volunteer their time to an organization working on global warming (compared with 7% who say they have done so in the past year), 32% say they would donate money to an organization working on global warming (compared with 16% who say they have done so in the past year), and 31% say they would contact government officials about global warming (compared with 11% who say they have done so in the past year).
• 24% say they would support an organization engaging in non-violent civil disobedience against corporate or government activities that make global warming worse, 13% say they would personally engage in non-violent civil disobedience, and 4% say they would be willing to get arrested as part of such an action.
• 2% say they are currently participating in a campaign to convince elected officials to take action to reduce global warming, while 7% say they would “definitely” join such a campaign and 19% would “probably” join one.

Collective Efficacy

• 49% of registered voters are at least “moderately confident” that people like them, working together, can affect what the federal government does about global warming, and 46% are confident that they can affect what corporations do about global warming.

1. Global Warming as a Voting Issue

1.1. Most Democrats, but few Republicans, say global warming will be a very important issue when deciding who they will vote for in the 2024 presidential election.

About four in ten registered voters (39%) say global warming will be “very important” to their vote in the 2024 presidential election, making it the 19^th most highly ranked issue of the 28 issues asked about (refer to data tables, pp. 38-47). This the same as the percentage who said global warming would be very important to their vote in the 2022 congressional elections (39%), and similar to the percentage who said so in the 2020 presidential election (43%).

Among Democrats, about six in ten (62%) say global warming will be a very important issue in determining their vote for president. This includes 70% of liberal Democrats and 51% of moderate/conservative Democrats. Additionally, about one in three non-leaning Independents (35%) say global warming will be a very important issue in determining their presidential vote (refer to data tables, p. 39). Among Republicans, only about one in ten (11%) say global warming will be a very important issue in determining their vote for president, including 19% of liberal/moderate Republicans and 8% of conservative Republicans.

Global warming is the 4^th most important voting issue among liberal Democrats and environmental protection is 6^th. Among moderate/conservative Democrats, global warming ranks 14^th, with environmental protection 8^th. By contrast, global warming is near the bottom of presidential voting priorities among Republicans.

After each respondent rated how important each of the 28 issues would be to their vote in the 2024 presidential election, they were shown the list of issues they had rated highest and then asked, “Which one of these issues is the most important issue to you when voting for a candidate?”

Using this method, global warming is the 12^th highest ranked most important voting issue among all registered voters, with 3% saying it is their most important issue (refer data tables, p. 48). For context, “the economy” is the #1 most important issue for registered voters, with 15% saying it is the most important issue.

Among Democrats, global warming is the #7 most important voting issue (6% of Democrats), with maintaining free and fair elections as the #1 most important (16% of Democrats). Global warming is the #4 most important issue among liberal Democrats (8% of liberal Democrats) and #10 among moderate/conservative Democrats (3% of moderate/conservative Democrats). No Republicans chose global warming as their most important issue.

1.2. Most registered voters would prefer to vote for a candidate who supports action on global warming.

If given a choice, a majority of registered voters (62%) would prefer to vote for a candidate for public office who supports action on global warming, while only 15% would prefer to vote for a candidate who opposes action, and 23% say it doesn’t matter either way.

Nearly all liberal Democrats (97%), a large majority of moderate/conservative Democrats (81%), and a majority of Independents (62%; refer to data tables, p. 49) would prefer to vote for a candidate who supports action on global warming, as would 47% of liberal/moderate Republicans. In contrast, only 17% of conservative Republicans would prefer to vote for a candidate who supports action on global warming, while 46% would prefer to vote for a candidate who opposes action.

2. Global Warming and Clean Energy as Government Priorities

2.1. About half of registered voters think global warming should be a “high” or “very high” priority for the president and Congress.

About half of registered voters (52%) think global warming should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress. This includes a large majority of liberal Democrats (87%) and most moderate/conservative Democrats (64%), about half of Independents (48%; refer to data tables, p. 49), and about one in three liberal/moderate Republicans (37%). Few conservative Republicans (13%) think so.

2.2. Most registered voters think developing sources of clean energy should be a “high” or “very high” priority for the president and Congress.

About six in ten registered voters (63%) think developing sources of clean energy should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress. This includes large majorities of liberal Democrats (95%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (76%), about six in ten Independents (62%; refer to data tables, p. 49), and about half of liberal/moderate Republicans (49%), but only 24% of conservative Republicans. Over the past five to seven years, Republicans’ support for the president and Congress making clean energy a high or very high priority has declined steadily.

3. Support for Policies to Reduce the Pollution that Causes Global Warming

3.1. Most registered voters support climate-friendly policies.

Registered voters across the political spectrum support many energy policies designed to reduce carbon pollution and fossil fuel dependence and promote clean energy, including:

• Providing federal funding to help farmers improve practices to protect and restore the soil so it absorbs and stores more carbon: 86% of registered voters, including 97% of liberal Democrats, 94% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 81% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 71% of conservative Republicans.
• Developing a national program to train people who work in the fossil fuel industry for new jobs in the renewable energy industry (such as wind and solar): 77% of registered voters, including 95% of liberal Democrats, 92% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 72% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 45% of conservative Republicans.
• Providing tax rebates to people who purchase energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels: 77% of registered voters, including 94% of liberal Democrats, 91% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 74% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 48% of conservative Republicans.
• Regulating carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas) as a pollutant: 74% of registered voters, including 94% of liberal Democrats, 91% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 68% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 42% of conservative Republicans.
• Providing tax credits or rebates to encourage people to buy electric appliances, such as heat pumps and induction stoves, that run on electricity instead of oil or gas: 74% of registered voters, including 96% of liberal Democrats, 88% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 69% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 42% of conservative Republicans.
• Transitioning the U.S. economy (including electric utilities, transportation, buildings, and industry) from fossil fuels to 100% clean energy by 2050: 66% of registered voters, including 95% of liberal Democrats, 87% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 55% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 23% of conservative Republicans.

3.2. A large majority of registered voters support generating renewable energy on public land.

A large majority of registered voters (79%) support generating renewable energy (solar and wind) on public land in the United States. This includes nearly all liberal Democrats (96%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (92%) as well as a large majority of liberal/moderate Republicans (71%) and half of conservative Republicans (50%).

Fewer registered voters support fossil-fuel production in the United States, including:

• Expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast: 53% of registered voters; 81% of conservative Republicans, 70% of liberal/moderate Republicans, 47% of moderate/conservative Democrats, and 24% of liberal Democrats.
• Drilling for and mining fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) on public land in the U.S.: 48% of registered voters; 80% of conservative Republicans, 62% of liberal/moderate Republicans, 40% of moderate/conservative Democrats, and 17% of liberal Democrats.

3.3. A majority of registered voters support building clean energy infrastructure in their local area.

Majorities of registered voters support climate-friendly energy production and distribution infrastructure in their local area, including solar farms (65%), wind farms (58%), high-voltage power lines to distribute clean energy (54%), and electric vehicle charging stations (51%). These include majorities of liberal Democrats and moderate/conservative Democrats, and many liberal/moderate Republicans, but fewer conservative Republicans:

• Solar farms: liberal Democrats, 88%; moderate/conservative Democrats, 76%; liberal/moderate Republicans, 57%; conservative Republicans, 37%.
• Wind farms: liberal Democrats, 83%; moderate/conservative Democrats, 70%; liberal/moderate Republicans, 44%; conservative Republicans, 26%.
• High-voltage power lines to distribute clean energy: liberal Democrats, 74%; moderate/conservative Democrats, 56%; liberal/moderate Republicans, 46%; conservative Republicans, 37%.
• Electric vehicle charging stations: liberal Democrats, 80%; moderate/conservative Democrats, 65%; liberal/moderate Republicans, 33%; conservative Republicans, 21%.

Fewer registered voters support building nuclear power plants in their local area (35%), including 42% of conservative Republicans, 39% of liberal Democrats, 32% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 31% of moderate/conservative Democrats.

3.4. A large majority of registered voters support policies that promote climate justice goals.

A large majority of registered voters across the political spectrum support a variety of policies that promote climate justice goals, including the following:

• Creating more parks and green spaces in low-income communities and communities of color: 86% of registered voters, including 97% of liberal Democrats, 96% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 80% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 70% of conservative Republicans.
• Strengthening enforcement of industrial pollution limits in low-income communities and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by air and water pollution: 80% of registered voters, including 96% of liberal Democrats, 91% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 78% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 54% of conservative Republicans.
• Providing federal funding to make buildings in low-income communities more energy efficient: 78% of registered voters, including 95% of liberal Democrats, 91% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 70% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 54% of conservative Republicans.
• Increasing federal funding to low-income communities and communities of color who are disproportionately impacted by air and water pollution: 73% of registered voters, including 95% of liberal Democrats, 89% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 67% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 39% of conservative Republicans.

3.5. Large majorities of registered voters support requiring publicly traded companies to disclose their climate impacts.

Large majorities of registered voters across the political spectrum support policies to require publicly traded companies to disclose their climate impacts by doing the following:

• Disclosing how much carbon pollution they produce: 79% of registered voters, including 96% of liberal Democrats, 93% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 78% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 50% of conservative Republicans.
• Disclosing how global warming could affect their profits: 73% of registered voters, including 93% of liberal Democrats, 88% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 66% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 42% of conservative Republicans.

4. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA)

4.1. Most registered voters have not heard much about the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

On August 16, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law. The law aims to curb inflation by reducing the federal deficit, lowering prescription drug prices and the cost of health insurance, modernizing the Internal Revenue Service, and investing in U.S. clean energy production. The law authorizes $391 billion for developing clean energy and addressing global warming, including tax incentives and rebates to help consumers and businesses buy energy-efficient appliances, solar panels, electric vehicles, etc. The IRA also includes support for clean energy jobs and investments in communities that are most harmed by air and water pollution. It is the largest investment the U.S. government has ever made to reduce global warming, and it is projected to help the U.S. reduce its carbon pollution 40% by 2030. The law will be paid for by closing tax loopholes.

A majority of registered voters (61%) have heard at least “a little” about the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA; refer to data tables, p. 56), but only 39% have heard either “a lot” (11%) or “some” (28%) about it. About half of liberal Democrats (49%) have heard “a lot” or “some” about the IRA, while fewer conservative Republicans (40%), moderate/conservative Democrats (37%) or liberal/moderate Republicans (31%) have done so. About four in ten registered voters (39%) have heard “nothing at all” about the IRA.

4.2. After reading a brief description of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, most registered voters support it.

After reading a brief description of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a large majority of registered voters (74%) say they support it (41% “strongly support” and 33% “somewhat support”; refer to data tables, p. 57). Nearly all liberal Democrats (98%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (94%) support the IRA, as do seven in ten liberal/moderate Republicans (70%; 13 percentage points higher than one year ago). By contrast, 30% of conservative Republicans support the IRA, while 70% oppose it (including 44% who strongly oppose it).

4.3. Half or fewer registered voters think the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will help them or the country.

Registered voters are split as to whether the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will help or hurt them or the country. About half or fewer think the IRA will help the following:

• Future generations of people: 54% of registered voters (an increase of 8 percentage points since we last asked this question in the Fall of 2023, and an increase of 12 percentage points since Fall 2022); 85% of liberal Democrats, 74% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 36% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 16% of conservative Republicans.
• The health of Americans: 51% of registered voters (+6 percentage points since Fall 2023, +16 points since Fall 2022); 81% of liberal Democrats, 69% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 37% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 14% of conservative Republicans.
• Low-income communities and communities of color who are disproportionately harmed by pollution: 48% of registered voters (+8 percentage points since Fall 2023, +12 points since Fall 2022); 76% of liberal Democrats, 66% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 36% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 15% of conservative Republicans.
• The economy and jobs in the U.S.: 45% of registered voters (+7 percentage points since Fall 2023, +10 points since Fall 2022); 75% of liberal Democrats, 62% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 30% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 13% of conservative Republicans.
• Their family: 37% of registered voters (+4 percentage points since Fall 2023, +11 points since Fall 2022); 59% of liberal Democrats, 50% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 29% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 9% of conservative Republicans.
• Them personally: 33% of registered voters (no statistically significant change since Fall 2023, +11 percentage points since Fall 2022); 55% of liberal Democrats, 44% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 25% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 8% of conservative Republicans.
• National security: 28% of registered voters (+8 percentage points since Fall 2023, +11 points since Fall 2022); 51% of liberal Democrats, 34% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 14% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 7% of conservative Republicans.

5. Energy Production as an Economic Issue

5.1. Half of registered voters think policies that promote clean energy will improve economic growth and create jobs.

Half of registered voters (50%) think policies that promote clean energy will improve economic growth and create jobs, while 28% think it will have the opposite effect, reducing growth and costing jobs, and 20% think it will have no impact either way.¹

Opinion is sharply divided along political lines; majorities of liberal Democrats (82%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (67%) think clean energy policies will have a positive impact on the economy and jobs. By contrast, more liberal/moderate Republicans think such policies will have a negative impact (39%) than a positive impact (30%), and about two in three conservative Republicans (65%) think the policies will have a negative impact.

5.2. Most registered voters think the clean energy industry will create more good jobs than the fossil fuel industry.

About six in ten registered voters (61%) think increasing production of clean energy in the U.S. will produce more new jobs than increasing fossil fuel production, while 37% think the opposite (that increasing fossil fuel production will create more jobs than increasing clean energy production).2

Nearly all liberal Democrats (93%) and a large majority of moderate/conservative Democrats (79%) think clean energy production will produce more good jobs. In contrast, majorities of liberal/moderate Republicans (55%) and conservative Republicans (81%) think increasing fossil fuel production will create more good U.S. jobs.

¹ The full text of the survey item and response categories are: Please indicate which one of these statements comes closest to your own views – even if it is not exactly right: Overall, government policies intended to transition away from fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) and toward clean energy (solar, wind) will… (a) Improve economic growth and provide new jobs; (b) Have no impact on economic growth or jobs; (c) Reduce economic growth and cost jobs.

6. Who Should Take Action to Address Global Warming?

6.1. Majorities of registered voters want corporations and industry, citizens, and government to do more to address global warming.

About seven in ten registered voters say corporations and industry should do either “much more” or “more” to address global warming (69% of registered voters, including 95% of liberal Democrats, 80% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 62% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 31% of conservative Republicans).

Half or more registered voters, including majorities of both liberal and moderate/conservative Democrats and about half of liberal/moderate Republicans, say the Republican Party (62%), the U.S. Congress (62%), citizens themselves (61%), and the Democratic Party (56%) should do more. About half or more registered voters, including majorities of both liberal and moderate/conservative Democrats, say their local government officials (56%), their governor (54%), President Biden (51%), and the media (51%) should do more. About half (49%) think they themselves should do more to address global warming.

About half of liberal/moderate Republicans (48%) say their party (the Republican Party) should do more to address global warming, while only 19% of conservative Republicans say so. Majorities of both liberal Democrats (85%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (65%) say their party (the Democratic Party) should do more.

6.2. Across the political spectrum, few registered voters think the U.S. government is responding well to global warming.

Few registered voters think the U.S. government is responding well to the issue of global warming (15%). This is true across the political spectrum: Only 20% of liberal Democrats, 18% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 13% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 10% of conservative Republicans agree.

7. Political Actions to Limit Global Warming

7.1. Relatively few registered voters have engaged in political actions to reduce global warming in the past year.

Relatively few registered voters have engaged in political actions to reduce global warming over the past 12 months, including 20% who say they have signed a petition about global warming at least “once,” 16% who say they have donated money to an organization working on global warming at least “once,” and 7% who say they have volunteered their time to an organization working on global warming.

7.2. About one in ten registered voters have urged elected officials to reduce global warming.

Eleven percent of registered voters have contacted government officials to urge them to take action to reduce global warming at least once over the past 12 months. This includes 22% of liberal Democrats, 11% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 6% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 2% of conservative Republicans.

7.3. Many registered voters are willing to take political actions to reduce global warming if asked.

More than half of registered voters (54%) say they would sign a petition about global warming if someone they like and respect asked them to, including large majorities of liberal Democrats (85%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (69%), but fewer liberal/moderate Republicans (37%) and conservative Republicans (17%). About one in three registered voters would volunteer their time to an organization working on global warming (32%), donate money to an organization working on global warming (32%), or write letters, email, or phone government officials about global warming (31%). One in four (25%) would meet with an elected official or their staff about global warming.

About one in four registered voters (24%) would support an organization engaging in non-violent civil disobedience against corporate or government activities that make global warming worse, and 13% (including 25% of liberal Democrats) would personally engage in such non-violent civil disobedience.

7.4. Few registered voters would be willing to get arrested as part of a non-violent civil disobedience action.

Although 13% of registered voters say they would personally engage in non-violent civil disobedience against corporate or government activities that make global warming worse (refer to section 7.3), only 4% say they would be willing to get arrested as part of such an action (1% “definitely would,” 3% “probably would”; refer to data tables, p. 67). This includes 7% of liberal Democrats, 3% of moderate/conservative Democrats, and 1% of liberal/moderate Republicans, but no conservative Republicans.

According to the most recent data available from the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than 161 million registered voters in the United States. Given that 1% say they “definitely would” get arrested as part of a non-violent action against activities that make global warming worse, and an additional 3% “probably would,” it suggests that approximately 1.5 million to 6.5 million registered voters may be willing to do so.

7.5. About one in four registered voters are participating in, or willing to join, a campaign to convince elected officials to take action to reduce global warming. Current participation is low.

About one in four in ten registered voters (28%) say they are either “definitely” (7%) or “probably” (19%) willing to join a campaign to convince elected officials to take action to reduce global warming or are currently participating in such a campaign (2%; refer to data tables, p. 68). This includes 56% of liberal Democrats (3% “currently,” 14% “definitely,” 38% “probably”), 33% of moderate/conservative Democrats (1% “currently,” 8% “definitely,” 24% “probably”), 16% of liberal/moderate Republicans (none “currently,” 6% “definitely,” 10% “probably”), and 7% of conservative Republicans (1% “currently,” 2% “definitely,” and 4% “probably”).

8. Collective Efficacy

8.1. About half of registered voters are confident they can affect what the federal government does about global warming.

Perceived collective efficacy regarding global warming – the belief that like-minded citizens can work together to influence what government and business leaders do about global warming – is an important motivator for individuals to take collective action.1 About half of registered voters (49%) are at least “moderately confident” that people like them, working together, can affect what the federal government does about global warming. Similarly, 46% are at least “moderately confident” that people like them, working together, can affect what corporations do about global warming.

Liberal Democrats have the highest perceptions of collective efficacy regarding global warming, while conservative Republicans have the lowest, although that may in part be because they are less likely to support action on global warming overall.

Appendix I: Data Tables

Data Tables can be found beginning on p. 38 of the PDF version of the report:

 

Appendix II: Survey Method

The data in this report are based on a nationally representative survey of 1,031 American adults, aged 18 and older. Results are reported for the subset of 896 registered voters who participated in the survey. The survey was conducted April 25 – May 4, 2024. All questionnaires were self-administered by respondents in a web-based environment. The median completion time for the survey was 24 minutes.

The sample was drawn from the Ipsos KnowledgePanel®, an online panel of members drawn using probability sampling methods. Prospective members are recruited using a combination of random digit dial and address-based sampling techniques that cover virtually all (non-institutional) residential phone numbers and addresses in the United States. Those contacted who would choose to join the panel but do not have access to the Internet are loaned computers and given Internet access so they may participate.

The sample therefore includes a representative cross-section of American adults—irrespective of whether they have Internet access, use only a cell phone, etc. The sample was weighted, post survey, to match key US Census Bureau demographic norms.

From November 2008 to December 2018, no KnowledgePanel® member participated in more than one Climate Change in the American Mind (CCAM) survey. Beginning with the April 2019 survey, panel members who have participated in CCAM surveys in the past, excluding the most recent two surveys, may be randomly selected for participation. In the current survey, 289 respondents, 258 of whom are registered voters included in this report, participated in a previous CCAM survey.

The survey instrument was designed by Anthony Leiserowitz, Seth Rosenthal, Jennifer Carman, Marija Verner, Matthew Ballew, Sanguk Lee, Matthew Goldberg, and Jennifer Marlon of Yale University, and Edward Maibach, John Kotcher, Teresa Myers, Nicholas Badullovich, and Kathryn Thier of George Mason University. The figures and tables were constructed by Emily Goddard of Yale University.

Margins of error

All samples are subject to some degree of sampling error—that is, statistical results obtained from a sample can be expected to differ somewhat from results that would be obtained if every member of the target population was interviewed. Average margins of error, at the 95% confidence level, are as follows:

• All Registered Voters (n = 896): Plus or minus 3 percentage points.
• Democrats (total; n = 423): Plus or minus 5 percentage points.
• Liberal Democrats (n = 234): Plus or minus 6 percentage points.
• Moderate/conservative Democrats (n = 188): Plus or minus 7 percentage points.
• Independents (n = 100): Plus or minus 10 percentage points.
• Republicans (total; n = 332): Plus or minus 5 percentage points.
• Liberal/moderate Republicans (n = 109): Plus or minus 9 percentage points.
• Conservative Republicans (n = 221): Plus or minus 7 percentage points.

Rounding error and tabulation

In data tables, bases specified are unweighted, while percentages are weighted to match national population parameters.

For tabulation purposes, percentage points are rounded to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given chart may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. Summed response categories (e.g., “strongly support” + “somewhat support”) are rounded after sums are calculated. For example, in some cases, the sum of 25% + 25% might be reported as 51% (e.g., 25.3% + 25.3% = 50.6%, which, after rounding, would be reported as 25% + 25% = 51%).

Appendix III: Sample Demographics

Sample demographics can be found on p. 70 of the PDF version of the report: