A new Pew Research Center report seems to indicate that political affiliation influences what you see taking place around you. Or at least it affects how you interpret what your eyes take in.
Released on Nov. 25, the report found that 62% of U.S. adults affirm that global climate change is impacting their local communities either “some” or “a lot.”
A Pew analysis of the data, published on Dec. 3, highlighted contrasts in what respondents report seeing related to climate change based on factors of location and political affiliation.
While there is some variation in responses based on geographic region, the starkest contrast arises when answers are categorized based on respondents’ political affiliation.
A strong majority (82%) of Democrats (and those who lean toward the Democratic Party) affirm seeing some or a lot of climate impacts, while only 38% of Republicans (and those who lean toward the Republican Party) say so.
Similar results are seen in responses regarding government action to address climate change and the impact of such actions.
Only 39% of Republicans say the government is doing too little, compared to 90% of Democrats, while only 37% of Republicans say government action does more good than harm, compared to around 72% of Democrats.
The full report is available here. The topline results are available here.
