Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

Reading Notes

• References to Republicans, Democrats, and Independents include only registered voters. References to Republicans and Democrats include registered voters who initially identified as either a Republican or Democrat, as well as those who did not initially identify as a Republican or Democrat but who said they “are closer to” one of those parties in a follow-up question (i.e., “leaners”). The category “Independents” does not include any of these “leaners.”
• Data tables presenting item responses broken out by age, race, gender, area of residence (urban/suburban/rural), political partisanship, and education are available in Appendix I (pp. 15-120). Data tables broken out by health status are also available in Appendix I (pp. 121-138). For those, respondents indicated if a doctor has ever diagnosed them or someone in their household with the following health conditions: hypertension (high blood pressure), coronary heart disease, diabetes, and/or respiratory illness including asthma. Respondents who selected at least one of these health conditions were coded as having “at least one health issue” and those who did not select any were coded as having “none.”
• In the data tables, bases specified are unweighted, but percentages are weighted.
• 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 agree” + “somewhat agree”) are rounded after sums are calculated (e.g., 25.3% + 25.3% = 50.6%, which, after rounding, would be reported as 25% + 25% = 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: 21%
      • (Moderate Democrats: 17%; Conservative Democrats: 4%)
  • Independents excluding leaners: 9%
  • Republicans (total) including leaners: 42%
    • Liberal/Moderate Republicans: 15%
      • (Liberal Republicans: 6%; Moderate Republicans: 10%)
    • Conservative Republicans: 27%
  • No party/Not interested in politics/No response: 2%