As the Biden administration moves forward with expensive and economically devastating regulations on vehicles, dishwashers, stoves and other major appliances under the guise of fighting “climate change,” Americans are questioning the efficiency, validity and cost of the agenda.

New polling from Monmouth University shows a significant drop in “serious concern” over the issue of “climate change,” particularly among young people.

National Climate Concerns Dip

Younger adults express less urgency than in prior polls

West Long Branch, NJ – Most Americans continue to acknowledge the existence of climate change, according to the latest Monmouth (“Mon-muth”) University Poll, but the number who see this as a very serious problem has fallen below half. Support for government action to reduce activities that impact the climate has dipped below 6 in 10 for the first time since Monmouth began polling this topic nearly a decade ago. The poll finds that the drop in the importance and urgency of climate change has been most pronounced among younger adults.

“Most Americans continue to believe climate change is real. The difference in these latest poll results is a decline in a sense of urgency around this issue,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

METHODOLOGY
The Monmouth University Poll was sponsored and conducted by the Monmouth University Polling Institute from April 18 to 22, 2024 with a probability-based national random sample of 808 adults age 18 and older. Interviews were conducted in English, and included 163 live landline telephone interviews, 349 live cell phone interviews, and 296 online surveys via a cell phone text invitation. Telephone numbers were selected through a mix of random digit dialing and list-based sampling. Landline respondents were selected with a modified Troldahl-Carter youngest adult household screen. Interviewing services were provided by Braun Research, with sample obtained from Dynata (RDD, n=484), Aristotle (list, n=168) and a panel of prior Monmouth poll participants (n=156). Monmouth is responsible for all aspects of the survey design, data weighting and analysis. The full sample is weighted for region, age, education, gender and race based on US Census information (ACS 2021 one-year survey). 

Demographics (weighted)
Party (self-reported): 25% Republican, 44% Independent, 31% Democrat
Sex: 49% male, 50% female, 1% other
Age: 30% 18-34, 32% 35-54, 38% 55+
Race: 61% White, 12% Black, 17% Hispanic, 9% Asian/other
Education: 38% high school or less, 29% some college, 17% 4 year degree, 16% graduate degree

A Monmouth poll released last month found only 15% of voters view climate change as a determinative issue in how they will vote in the 2024 presidential election, ranking far lower than inflation, immigration, and abortion.   Compared to three years ago, climate change concern has declined by 8 percentage points among both Democrats (77% very serious, down from 85% in 2021) and Republicans (13%, from 21%) and by 13 points among independents (43%, from 56%).

My Comment:

The survey seems competent and credible.  It is obvious that global warming/climate change serves as a political wedge issue favored by Democrats and disfavored by Republicans.  Interestingly, with the decline of urgency in all groups, independents have flipped from slight majority favorable to unfavorable.

Note that climate change is undefined except as causing extreme weather and rising sea levels. I also think that the sequence of questions shows a bias for climate change to warrant governmental action.  Putting that question first sets a context for expressing belief and concern over the climate, and then sets up the final question of support or opposition. The question of human vs. natural causation includes a “Both Equally” response, which typically masks unwillingness to say “Don’t Know.”  However, even a 50-50 split between human and natural weakens the case for reducing human activity.  Then the next question about preventing climate change presumes humans are causing it and can stop it. Yet the urgency is diluted by 17% “Too Late”,  51% “Still Time” and 23% “Not Happening.”

In spite of the above attempts to bias, the body politic does not give majority support for government climate action.

 

See Also:

The Art of Rigging Climate Polls