Global Warming along Party Lines: New Report from YPCCC

On September 7, 2011, the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication released a special report from a recent survey of the American public. Politics & Global Warming: Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and the Tea Party shows how members of each political party respond to the issue of climate change.

The report points to many striking and sometimes surprising similarities and differences between parties. It examines members’ beliefs around climate change, their level of support for climate and energy policy, and it discusses their values and politics. The report includes an executive summary and detailed tables comparing the four groups.

Here are a few highlights:

• Majorities of Democrats (78%), Independents (71%) and Republicans (53%) believe that global warming is happening. By contrast, only 34 percent of Tea Party members believe global warming is happening, while 53 percent say it is not happening.
• A majority of Democrats (55%) say that most scientists think global warming is happening, while majorities of Republicans (56%) and Tea Party members (69%) say that there is a lot of disagreement among scientists about whether or not global warming is happening.
• Tea Party members are much more likely to say that they are “very well informed” about global warming than the other groups. Likewise, they are also much more likely to say they “do not need any more information” about global warming to make up their mind.
• Majorities of all four political groups support funding more research into renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power and providing tax rebates for people who purchase energy efficient vehicles or solar panels.