A Cooling Climate for Change? Party Polarization and the Politics of Global Warming

Abstract

Analysis of three cross-sectional polls administered by the Gallup Organization at 10-year intervals-in 1990, 2000, and 2010-demonstrates that partisan identification has become an increasingly important determinant of environmental concern within the American mass public. Polarization on global warming is especially clear, even when compared to a variety of other social, economic, and political problems, but party sorting seems to occur only as citizens acquire information and become familiar with elite cues. The implications of this for the U.S. environmental movement and the strategies it employs are discussed.

Culture, Carbon, and Climate Change: A Class Analysis of Climate Change Belief, Lifestyle Lock-in, and Personal Carbon Footprint

“…Th is is not the fi rst time scholars report that strong attitudes can overcome certain contexts (Guagnano et al, 1995) and with this fi nding I argue against the proponents of an A-B gap (Blake, 1999;Csutora, 2012;Gatersleben et al, 2002;Hoggett, 2013;Kollmuss and Agyeman, 2002;Whitmarsh et al, 2011;Wilson et al, 2013). Additionally, I align myself with scholars who argue that, essentially, the A-B gap is a measurement problem (Guber, 2013;Lertzman, 2013;Newhouse, 1990). In other words, there is no gap when a larger catchment of human concerns -like the multifaceted CCAMS belief construct -is considered in aggregate.…”

“…22 Even though studies have examined the socio-economic distribution of carbon emissions in the U.S. (Jones and Kammen, 2014;Ummel, 2014) and third party carbon calculators that are publicly available (Lynas, 2007;Padgett et al, 2008), as well as numerous studies (in the US) on the public distribution of climate change belief and risk perceptions (Guber, 2013;Howe et al, 2015;Leiserowitz et al, 2012Leiserowitz et al, , 2014Leiserowitz and Feinberg, 2005), a combined analysis of carbon calculations in relation to climate change belief is not present in the literature. 23 Th is ongoing nationally representative survey has been the source of various research and reports -see the Yale (2015) website.…”

“…Th is theoretical approach, then, suggests that not only might there be an income-carbon relationship, but also a relationship between class culture and carbon emissions, as might be deduced from Bourdieusian theory ([1979]1984). Concerning attitudes about climate change, as a minority of people in the United States believe that climate change is both occurring and human-caused (Guber, 2013;Leiserowitz et al, 2012;Nisbet and Myers, 2007). I am interested in how awareness of climate change may aff ect behavior; specifi cally, the relationship between an individual's climate change belief and GHGEs.…”

“…Lertzman (2013) questions the whole existence of a gap, arguing that it is an outcome of shortcomings in measures and the oft contradictory and illusive nature of the human subject itself. Others add that measures of environmental attitudes are often infl ated as they are rarely ranked alongside other personal and social concerns (Guber, 2013), i.e. relative to one's economic priorities or a "pool of worry" (Linville and Fischer, 1991).…”

“…Other studies have also found survey responses oppositionally polarized, but over political ideology and party lines (Dunlap and McCright, 2008;Guber, 2013;Leiserowitz et al, , 2012Perkowiz et al, 2014). Additionally, Leiserowitz et al (2009) 16 Th e questioning schemes that determine these diff erent segments range from belief about global warming to risk perceptions, degree of worry, reported energy use behaviors, and preferences with respect to possible societal responses .…”