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Politics & Global Warming, March 2021


1. Global Warming and Clean Energy as Government Priorities

1.1. Most Democrats think global warming should be a “high” or “very high” priority for the president and Congress.

Large majorities of liberal Democrats (88%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (78%) think global warming should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress, as do 47% of Independents (see Data Tables). Relatively few liberal/moderate Republicans (35%) or conservative Republicans (12%) think so.

Over the past five years (since March 2016), the percentage of liberal Democrats who think global warming should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress has increased by seven percentage points and the percentage of moderate/conservative Democrats who think so has increased by 14 percentage points.

 

1.2. Most registered voters think developing sources of clean energy should be a “high” or “very high” priority for the president and Congress.

About nine in ten liberal Democrats (90%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (87%), and about half of Independents (51%, see Data Tables) think developing sources of clean energy should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress. About four in ten liberal/moderate Republicans (44%) and one in four conservative Republicans (24%) think so.

Over the past year, there has been a sharp decline in the percentages of both liberal/moderate Republicans and conservative Republicans who think developing sources of clean energy should be a priority for the president and Congress. The current numbers are all-time lows since we first asked the question in 2010.