Galen speaks with Anthony Leiserowitz, founder of Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, about public perceptions of climate change. They discuss extreme weather events, the evolution of American opinion on climate change, and the role of focusing events in driving policy changes. They also explore public attitudes towards climate change mitigation efforts and how to get people to care about climate change. Additionally, the podcast touches on GOP primary polling and voting laws.
Read more
AI Summary
AI Chapters
Episode notes
auto_awesome
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
The latest GOP primary polling indicates that former President Trump maintains strong support within the Republican Party, positioning him as the clear frontrunner for the 2024 Republican primary.
Public perceptions of climate change in the US have experienced a significant shift over the past decade, with a majority of Americans accepting its reality and human-caused origins, while conservative Republicans remain skeptical.
Recent changes in election laws, influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and false claims of election fraud, have the potential to impact voter access and the democratic process in the upcoming 2024 elections.
Deep dives
Trump maintains strong support in Republican primary
According to a recent podcast episode, former President Trump continues to enjoy strong support within the Republican Party, with 54% of respondents in a recent poll favoring him as their top choice for the 2024 Republican primary. This places Trump significantly ahead of other potential contenders, including Ron DeSantis, who received 17% support. The episode notes that the poll confirms what was already known, that Trump is the frontrunner in the Republican primary, while other candidates would need a significant shift in circumstances to challenge his dominance. The episode also highlights the presence of three distinct groups within the Republican electorate: the MAGA base, which strongly supports Trump; the persuadables, who may be open to other candidates, including DeSantis; and the not-open-to-Trump group, which comprises around 25% of voters and includes former Biden supporters and backers of candidates with little chance of securing the nomination.
The impact of climate change on public perception and politics
The podcast delves into public perceptions of climate change, the role of extreme weather in shaping these views, and the subsequent influence on politics. It highlights the findings of the Yale program on climate change communication, which has been conducting surveys for over a decade. The results indicate that there has been a significant shift in American attitudes over the past 10 years, with a near all-time high of 74% of Americans accepting that climate change is happening, and 61% recognizing it as human-caused. However, the episode notes that the US remains an outlier compared to other countries, with about 30% of Americans, mainly conservative Republicans, still skeptical of climate change. It attributes this divide to factors such as organized climate denial, influence from the fossil fuel industry, and a strong adherence to an ideology of radical individualism. The episode emphasizes the need to help people connect the dots between climate change and the people, places, and things they already care about, as this can contribute to greater engagement and concern.
Assessing changes in election laws and implications for 2024
The podcast episode examines recent changes in election laws since 2019, discussing two main categories of changes: those influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and those driven by false claims of election fraud in the aftermath of the 2020 election. It explores the impact of these changes on voting dynamics in the upcoming 2024 elections. Regarding the pandemic, the episode highlights the temporary measures implemented in 2020, such as expanded mail-in voting and early voting access, and notes that some of these changes have been made permanent in certain states. It also addresses the concern that these changes may have led to fraudulent voting, an issue that has been extensively debunked. The episode further explores the changes motivated by claims of election fraud, such as new identification requirements and restrictions on mail-in voting. These changes have implications for voter access and may disproportionately impact certain communities. The podcast concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding these changes and their potential effects on the democratic process.
Shift in Climate Change Perception in the United States
Over the past 10 years, climate change has become a crucial issue for liberal Democrats, the base of the Democratic Party. The 2020 presidential race saw an unprecedented number of candidates with climate plans, as it became essential to appeal to young people, women in the suburbs, and minorities who are increasingly concerned about climate change. Democrats were able to pass the significant Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment ever made in the US and globally to address climate change, due to their political power in the Senate. The social, cultural, and political climate around climate change has shifted in the United States, leading to increased focus and action on the issue.
Varying Public Opinion and Focusing Events
Public opinion on climate change can be influenced by focusing events, critical occurrences that attract public attention, media coverage, and shape policy discussions. Although the effects may fade over time, events like high-profile mass shootings can temporarily increase support for gun control. Similarly, climate change events are becoming more frequent, intense, destructive, and damaging, leading to a growing awareness of the need for action. Different policy measures have varying levels of public support, with bipartisan consensus on nature-based solutions and investments in infrastructure. However, ideological differences arise when regulations on industries and government interventions are proposed, highlighting the underlying political ideology and its impact on climate change policies.
Calculations from the World Meteorological Organization suggest that July was the hottest month on record. Throughout the month, heat records were broken across the globe. Phoenix, Arizona, recorded 31 days in a row of temperatures over 110 degrees Fahrenheit and Sanbao, China, provisionally recorded the country’s all-time hottest temperature of 126 degrees.
In this installment of the podcast, Galen speaks with Anthony Leiserowitz, the director and founder of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, about public perceptions of climate change, how extreme weather shapes those views and whether it's shaping our politics.
Galen also speaks with Kaleigh Rogers and Nathaniel Rakich about some of the latest GOP primary polling and how changes to election law in both red and blue states will reshape how Americans vote in 2024.
