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

European Political Science volume 11, pages 7–17 (2012)Cite this article

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.

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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.

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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

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  1. Paul R Brewer
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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

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

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