Memo: In What Demographics Have Opinions on Climate Change Moved the Most?
By Zachary L. Hertz
Executive Summary
The electorate increasingly and indiscriminately sees climate change as an important issue, with consensus growing consistently across demographic groups.
Black and Asian American respondents both overwhelmingly viewed climate change as important at significantly higher levels than in 2016.
One of the most prominent shifts in opinion on climate change occurred among Independent voters, with a margin widening from 11 to 25 percentage points.
Generally, opinions on climate change were similar and increased at a similar pace across demographic groups separated by education level.
Research shows that a strong majority of Americans see climate change as an important issue, suggesting the climate debate will play a critical role in November- but in what demographics do these views lie, and where have they been changing? As part of the VOTER Survey (Views of The Electorate Research Survey), individuals were asked in 2016, 2017, and 2019 to state how important the issue of climate change is to them. We are especially interested in discovering in which demographic groups opinions about climate change have shifted the most.
