Report · May 16, 2019
Politics & Global Warming, April 2019
By Anthony Leiserowitz, Edward Maibach, Seth Rosenthal, John Kotcher, Matthew Ballew, Matthew Goldberg, Abel Gustafson and Parrish Bergquist
Filed under: Policy & Politics, Beliefs & Attitudes and Behaviors & Actions
2. Who is Responsible for Action on Global Warming?
2.1. Seven in ten registered voters want corporations and industry to do more to address global warming. Voters also want more action from citizens and government.
Across party lines, a majority of registered voters say corporations and industry should do more to address global warming (72% of all registered voters; including 89% of Democrats, 77% of Independents, and 53% of Republicans).
Half or more of registered voters, including Democrats, Independents, and liberal/moderate Republicans, think citizens and the U.S. Congress should do more to address global warming (see Data Tables). Half or more Democrats and Independents also think the Republican Party, President Trump, their own member of Congress, their Governor, their local government officials, the Democratic Party, and/or the media should do more.
Nearly half of liberal/moderate Republicans (49%) think the Republican Party should do more to address global warming, while only one in four conservative Republicans (25%) think so. Large majorities of both liberal Democrats (85%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (74%) think the Democratic Party should do more.
2.2. Half of registered voters think global warming should be a “high” or “very high” priority for the president and Congress.
Half of registered voters (50%) think global warming should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress, including about eight in ten Democrats (81%), but few Republicans (16%). Liberal Democrats are nearly nine times as likely as conservative Republicans to think global warming should be a priority (88% versus 10%, respectively).
