Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

10. Efficacy

10.1 Many registered voters are confident they can affect what the government and corporations do 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.Bandura, A. (2000). Exercise of human agency through collective efficacy. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9, 75-78. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00064 Forty-six percent of registered voters are at least “moderately confident” that people like them, working together, can affect what their local government does about global warming, and 44% are at least “moderately confident” they can affect what their state government does. Fewer registered voters are confident they can affect what the federal government (37%) and corporations (36%) do about global warming.

Collective efficacy regarding global warming is highest among liberal Democrats (70% are at least “moderately” confident they can affect what their local government does about global warming), followed by moderate/conservative Democrats, and liberal/moderate Republicans. Conservative Republicans express the lowest collective efficacy, although that may in part be because they are less likely to support action on global warming overall.

10.2 Many registered voters are confident that state and local government policies can help limit global warming.

Many registered voters (45%) are at least “moderately” confident that state and local government policies can help limit global warming. Approximately two-thirds of liberal Democrats (66%), half of moderate/conservative Democrats (53%), one-third of liberal/moderate Republicans (34%), and one-quarter of conservative Republicans (27%) are confident that state and local government action can limit global warming.