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Slight Rise in US Public Concerns about Climate

RESEARCH Public Opinion Survey by Dina Smeltz and Craig Kafura
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In 2015, for the first time in Chicago Council Survey history, a majority of Democrats say that climate change requires immediate action and are three times more likely than Republicans to say climate change is a critical threat.

Key Findings 

  • Roughly four in ten Americans (37%, up eight percentage points from 2010) say that climate change is a serious and pressing problem, and that we should begin taking steps now even if this involves significant costs. 
  • For the first time, a majority of Democrats (56%) say that climate change requires immediate action, and Democrats are three times more likely than Republicans to say that climate change is a critical threat. 
  • Majorities across the political spectrum supported a “new international treaty to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” ​ 

Methodology 

The analysis in this report is based on data from the 2015 Chicago Council Survey of the American public on foreign policy. The 2015 Chicago Council Survey was conducted by GfK Custom Research using the KnowledgePanel, a nationwide online research panel recruited through an address-based sampling frame. The survey was fielded between May 25 to June 17, 2015 among a national sample of 2,034 adults, 18 years of age or older, living in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia.

The margin of error ranges from ± 2.2 to ± 3.1 percentage points depending on the specific question, with higher margins of error for partisan subgroups.

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Crown Center Content This content is produced by the Lester Crown Center, which aims to shape debates and inform decisions on important US foreign policy and national security issues.
About the Authors
Vice President, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
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Dina Smeltz, a polling expert, has more than 25 years of experience designing and fielding international social and political surveys. Prior to joining the Council to lead its annual survey of American attitudes on US foreign policy, she served in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the US State Department's Office of Research from 1992 to 2008.
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Director of Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
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Craig Kafura is the director of public opinion and foreign policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, a Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project, and a Pacific Forum Young Leader. At the Council, he coordinates work on public opinion and foreign policy and is a regular contributor to the public opinion and foreign policy blog Running Numbers.
headshot of Craig Kafura