Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Polarisation in the USA: Climate Change, Party Politics, and Public Opinion in the Obama Era

  • Symposium
  • Published:
European Political Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study explores the polarised nature of climate change politics in the USA. First, it describes the opposing stances on climate change taken by Republican and Democratic leaders. It then uses survey data to show that Republican and Democratic citizens hold widely differing views on climate change and that these differences are greatest among the most educated. Partisan polarisation poses a challenge to those seeking to build support for new policy efforts on climate change.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abramowitz, A.I. and Saunders, K.L. (2008) ‘Is polarization a myth?’ Journal of Politics 70 (2): 542–555.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berinsky, A.J. (2009) America at War: Public Opinion during Wartime, from World War II to Iraq, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blakemore, B. (2006) ‘“Schwarzenator” versus Bush: Global warming debate heats up’, ABC News, 30 August, available at: http://abcnews.go.com/US/GlobalWarming/Story?id=2374968, accessed 8 January 2010.

  • Bord, R.J., O’Connor, R.E. and Fisher, A. (2000) ‘In what sense does the public need to understand global climate change?’ Public Understanding of Science 9 (3): 205–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Commission on Presidential Debates. (2008) ‘Second McCain-Obama presidential debate’, available at: http://www.debates.org/index.php?page=october-7-2008-debate-transcrip, accessed 8 January 2010.

  • Delli Carpini, M.X. and Keeter, S. (1996) What Americans Know about Politics and Why It Matters, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunlap, R.E. (2008) ‘Climate-change views: Republican-democratic gap expands’, available at: http://www.gallup.com/poll/107569/climatechange-views-republicandemocratic-gaps-expand.aspx, accessed 8 January 2010.

  • Edwards, D. (2007) ‘Sen. Inhofe says Gore will “absolutely” run for president’, Raw Story, 22 March, available at: http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Sen._Inhofe_says_Gore_will_absolutely_0322.html, accessed 8 January 2010.

  • Fiorina, M.P., Abrams, S.J. and Pope, J. (2006) Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America, New York: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace. (2009) ‘Transcript: “Secretary Sibelius, Sen. McConnell on FNS’’, available at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529410,00.html, accessed 8 January 2010.

  • Gerstenzang, J. (2006) ‘President doubts he’ll see Gore film’, Los Angeles Times 23 May, available at: http://articles.latimes.com/2006/may/23/nation/na-bushgore23, accessed 8 January 2010.

  • Green, J.C., Guth, J.L. and Hill, K. (1993) ‘Faith and election: The Christian right in congressional campaigns, 1978–1988’, Journal of Politics 55 (1): 80–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inhofe, J.M. (2003) ‘The science of climate change’, available at: http://inhofe.senate.gov/pressreleases/climate.htm, accessed 8 January 2010.

  • Jacobson, G.C. (2008) A Divider, Not a Uniter: George W. Bush and the American people, New York: Pearson/Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M., Brace, P. and Arceneux, K. (2005) ‘Public opinion and dynamic representation in the American states: The case of environmental attitudes’, Social Science Quarterly 86 (1): 87–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kellstedt, P.M., Zahran, S. and Vedlitz, A. (2008) ‘Personal efficacy, the information environment, and attitudes toward global warming and climate change in the United States’, Risk Analysis 28 (1): 113–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knowlton, B. (2008) ‘Obama promises action on climate change’, New York Times, 18 November.

  • Krosnick, J.A., Holbrook, A.L. and Visser, P.S. (2000) ‘The impact of the fall 1997 debate about global warming on American public opinion’, Public Understanding of Science 9 (3): 239–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malka, A., Krosnick, J.A. and Langer, G. (2009) ‘The association of knowledge with concern about global warming: Trusted information sources shape public thinking’, Risk Analysis 29 (5): 633–647.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCright, A.M. and Dunlap, R.E. (2000) ‘Challenging global warming as a social problem: An analysis of the conservative movement's counter-claims’, Social Problems 47 (4): 499–522.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCright, A.M. and Dunlap, R.E. (2003) ‘Defeating Kyoto: The conservative movement's impact on US climate change policy’, Social Problems 50 (3): 348–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Journal. (2007) ‘Congressional Insiders Poll’, available at: http://syndication.nationaljournal.com/images/203Insiderspoll_NJlogo.pdf, accessed 8 January 2010.

  • O’Connor, R.E., Bord, R.J. and Fisher, A. (1999) ‘Risk perceptions, general environmental beliefs, and willingness to address climate change’, Risk Analysis 19 (3): 461–471.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor, R.E., Bord, R.J., Yarnal, B. and Wiefek, N. (2002) ‘Who wants to reduce greenhouse emissions?’ Social Science Quarterly 83 (1): 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. (2008) ‘A deeper partisan divide over global warming’, available at: people-press.org/report/417/a-deeper-partisan-divide-over-global-warming, accessed 8 January 2010.

  • Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. (2009a) ‘Americans favor carbon cap, gays in the military and renewing US-Cuba ties’, available at: people-press.org/report/501/carbon-cap-gays-in-military-us-cuba, accessed 8 January 2010.

  • Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. (2009b) ‘Fewer Americans see solid evidence of global warming; modest support for ‘cap and trade’ policy’, available at: http://people-press.org/report/556/global-warming, accessed 8 January 2010.

  • Science Debate. (2008) ‘Science Debate 2008 presents Presidential answers to the top fourteen science questions facing America’, available at: http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=42, accessed 8 January 2010.

  • Smith, E.R.A.N. (2002) Energy, the Environment, and Public Opinion, New York: Rowman and Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Talley, T. (2009) ‘Okla.'s Inhofe says he opposes emission standards’, Associated Press, 10 December, available at: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=9301229, accessed 8 January 2010.

  • Zaller, J.R. (1992) The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion, New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Martin Bull and Ingolfur Blühdorn for their comments on a previous version of this study presented at the September 2009 meeting of the American Political Science Association in Toronto, Ontario.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 117 Johnston Hall, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, 53211, WI, USA

    Paul R Brewer

Authors
  1. Paul R Brewer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Brewer, P. Polarisation in the USA: Climate Change, Party Politics, and Public Opinion in the Obama Era. Eur Polit Sci 11, 7–17 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1057/eps.2011.10

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/eps.2011.10

Keywords

Search

Navigation