homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Democrat voters see climate change as a top priority in the presidential elections

Climate change is the most important issue for Democrat voters, second only to healthcare.

Fermin Koop
March 2, 2020 @ 11:22 pm

share Share

As the United States gets closer to the presidential elections, climate change is gaining momentum among one of the top priority issues for most Democrat voters, showing a big gap with Republican voters.

Credit Wikipedia Commons

While healthcare remains the main issue for Democrats, climate change ranks in a close second place, according to a new survey by Climate Nexus, a nonpartisan nonprofit group.

Nearly 2,000 registered voters showed global warming has become a key issue in American politics, alongside the economy, jobs, immigration, and social security. For democrats, this is now nationally the most important issue, the survey showed.

The poll was done online in 26 states, each of them set to hold a Democratic primary between now and the end of March. Climate Nexus partnered up with the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.

“This is the first time in American political history where climate change is not just a top-tier issue—it is the top-tier issue,” Antony Leiserowitz, the director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, told The Atlantic.

While Democrat voters seem to be more engaged with climate change, that’s not the case of Republicans, according to the poll. Democrats are by far more likely to consider the issue as one of the priorities than Republicans, showing a big divide among voters.

The Democratic primaries so far have reaffirmed the results of the survey. In Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina climate change were among the top three issues, according to the AP’s VoteCast exit polls.

Earlier this year, a survey by the Pew Research Center showed nearly two-thirds of Americans ranked protecting the environment as a leading policy priority, but with a big divide among Democrats and Republicans on climate change.

The Democratic Party has put a strong focus on climate change in this year’s presidential elections, with all presidential hopefuls claiming they would implement strong climate action plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Republicans also introduced a climate agenda, pushing an initiative to plant one trillion trees by 2050, likely addressed to younger Republican voters, who are more in line with climate action. Nevertheless, experts have said the effort is largely not sufficient to avoid global warming to continue.

There are still big misperceptions about climate change and the ecological crisis among United States citizens, a survey last year showed. The survey asked more than 1,000 people how many of the past 22 years have been among the hottest. Despite the correct answer being 20, the average answer was 14.

share Share

China Now Uses 80% Artificial Sand. Here's Why That's A Bigger Deal Than It Sounds

No need to disturb water bodies for sand. We can manufacture it using rocks or mining waste — China is already doing it.

Over 2,250 Environmental Defenders Have Been Killed or Disappeared in the Last 12 Years

The latest tally from Global Witness is a grim ledger. In 2024, at least 146 people were killed or disappeared while defending land, water and forests. That brings the total to at least 2,253 deaths and disappearances since 2012, a steady toll that turns local acts of stewardship into mortal hazards. The organization’s report reads less like […]

After Charlie Kirk’s Murder, Americans Are Asking If Civil Discourse Is Even Possible Anymore

Trying to change someone’s mind can seem futile. But there are approaches to political discourse that still matter, even if they don’t instantly win someone over.

Climate Change May Have Killed More Than 16,000 People in Europe This Summer

Researchers warn that preventable heat-related deaths will continue to rise with continued fossil fuel emissions.

New research shows how Trump uses "strategic victimhood" to justify his politics

How victimhood rhetoric helped Donald Trump justify a sweeping global trade war

Biggest Modern Excavation in Tower of London Unearths the Stories of the Forgotten Inhabitants

As the dig deeper under the Tower of London they are unearthing as much history as stone.

Millions Of Users Are Turning To AI Jesus For Guidance And Experts Warn It Could Be Dangerous

AI chatbots posing as Jesus raise questions about profit, theology, and manipulation.

Can Giant Airbags Make Plane Crashes Survivable? Two Engineers Think So

Two young inventors designed an AI-powered system to cocoon planes before impact.

First Food to Boost Immunity: Why Blueberries Could Be Your Baby’s Best First Bite

Blueberries have the potential to give a sweet head start to your baby’s gut and immunity.

Ice Age People Used 32 Repeating Symbols in Caves Across the World. They May Reveal the First Steps Toward Writing

These simple dots and zigzags from 40,000 years ago may have been the world’s first symbols.