Report · Oct 26, 2021
Public Support for International Climate Action, September 2021
By Anthony Leiserowitz, Edward Maibach, Seth Rosenthal, John Kotcher, Jennifer Carman, Liz Neyens, Matthew Goldberg, Karine Lacroix and Jennifer Marlon
Filed under: Policy & Politics
1. Which Countries Should Act on Global Warming?
1.1. Two in three registered voters say the United States should reduce greenhouse gas emissions, regardless of what other countries do.
Two in three registered voters (66%) think the United States should reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, regardless of what other countries do, an increase of five percentage points since our previous survey in March 2021. Majorities of liberal Democrats (92%), moderate/conservative Democrats (78%), and liberal/moderate Republicans (60%; +14 percentage points since March) take this position. Fewer conservative Republicans (33%), take this position.
Only 6% of registered voters (including less than 1% of Democrats, 8% of Independents, and 13% of Republicans) say the United States should not reduce its emissions (see data tables).
1.2. Registered voters across partisan lines say developing countries should do more to address global warming.
About eight in ten registered voters (81%) say developing countries (such as China, India, and Brazil) should be doing more to address global warming. Similarly, about three in four (74%) say other industrialized countries (such as England, Germany, and Japan) should be doing more. About two in three registered voters (66%) say the United States should be doing more to address global warming.
Among those, the percentage of registered voters who responded that developing countries, other industrialized countries, and the United States should be doing much more to address global warming has increased since our previous survey in March 2021 (developing countries, +9 percentage points; other industrialized countries, +9 points; the United States, +11 points; see data tables).
Large majorities of both liberal Democrats and moderate/conservative Democrats say developing countries, other industrialized countries, and the United States should all be doing more to address global warming. Eight in ten liberal/moderate Republicans say developing countries (80%) should be doing more, and majorities say other industrialized countries (73%; +13 percentage points since March) and the United States (58%) should be doing more. Two in three conservative Republicans (66%) say developing countries should be doing more, half (50%; +7 points since March) say other industrialized countries should be doing more, but Only 28% say the United States should be doing more.
