With issues such as the economy and inflation, crime and war in Ukraine weighing more on the minds of Americansthe percentage who believe climate change needs to be addressed right now has dropped a bit over the past year.
This fall in urgency, although not strong, is widespread. Fewer people of all ages, races, and educational groups, as well as partisan groups, think climate change should be addressed immediately than it was a year ago. Still, most Americans think it’s a problem that needs to be addressed now, or at least in the years to come.
A year ago, when more Americans called the national economy “good” than now, more people saw climate change as urgent. As opinions about the economy have become more negative, the percentage who say climate change must be tackled immediately has declined.
Pocket problems like the economy and inflation are the top priorities for Americans. Of the seven questions asked in our survey, climate change (along with COVID-19, also at 39%) is at the bottom as “high priority” issues.
Climate change: a priority issue for Democrats
Climate change is a higher priority for Democrats than for Republicans and independents. Most Republicans don’t care much about the issue: Six out of 10 call it a “low priority.” About four out of 10 believe that this should not be addressed at all.
Americans who say climate change should be a high priority (a predominantly Democratic group) believe it is something people should address right now (more than eight out of 10 do so).
Historically, Democrats have largely favored policies and efforts to reduce climate change, while Republicans have been less supportive or opposed to those policies.
Among Democrats, climate change is a higher priority for liberals than for moderates. Among Liberal Democrats, climate change slightly outweighs economic problems as a “high priority,” while moderates place economic problems ahead of climate change.
In a CBS News February poll55% of Liberal Democrats said the Biden administration was not sufficiently focused on climate change, compared to 39% of moderate Democrats who had this view.
But grassroots members of the party have given good grades to President Biden to deal with the problem. Most Democrats, both Liberal and moderate, approve of the work they are doing to address climate change issues. Most Republicans and independents do not.
Overall, 43% of Americans approve of Mr. Biden’s management of climate change. While not in positive territory, it is superior to its approvals on the most pressing issues for Americans: the economy and inflation.
US energy policy
One of the proposed ways to curb the effects of climate change is to transition to renewable energy sources. More than half of Americans believe that US policies should promote electricity from solar and wind sources, a figure that rises to 79% among those who think people should tackle climate change Right Now.
Those who feel climate change may expect to be treated more in the future or not (a Republican-leaning group) tend to prefer U.S. policies that promote electricity from oil and coal or do not encourage sources of energy in no way.
Kabir Khanna contributed to this report.
This CBS News / YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,062 adult US residents interviewed between April 5 and 8, 2022. The sample was weighted by gender, age, gender. race and education according to the U.S. Census Survey of the U.S. Census and Current Population Survey, as well as the 2020 presidential vote. The margin of error is ± 2.8 points.
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