Report · Apr 25, 2016
Politics and Global Warming, Spring 2016
By Anthony Leiserowitz, Edward Maibach, Connie Roser-Renouf, Geoff Feinberg and Seth Rosenthal
Filed under: Policy & Politics
3. Political Action On Global Warming
3.1. Fewer than half of Americans—except liberal Democrats—think the American people can convince Congress to pass ambitious legislation to reduce global warming.
Four in ten Americans (39%) think the American people can convince Congress to pass ambitious legislation to reduce global warming. The optimists outweigh the pessimists—only one in four (26%) think it is not possible. The balance—35%—are not sure.
Democrats are the most optimistic (e.g., 55% of liberal Democrats think it can be done), whereas Republicans are the least optimistic (e.g., 23% conservative Republicans think it can be done).
3.2. Three in ten Americans are willing to join a campaign to convince elected officials to reduce global warming.
About three in ten Americans (29%) would be willing to join – or are currently participating in – a campaign to convince elected officials to take action to reduce global warming.
Nearly half of Democrats say they already have or would be willing to join a campaign (45%; 54% of liberal Democrats). One in four Independents would do so, and one in ten Republicans would as well (11%; 20% of liberal/moderate Republicans).
3.3. Few registered voters have contacted a government official about global warming in the past 12 months.
In the past 12 months, few Americans have written letters, emailed, or phoned government officials about global warming (10%). The most likely to have done so are liberal Democrats (17%); the least likely are conservative Republicans (4%).
