By Dean Scott, Read on Bloomberg Law
Voters of color are more likely to be concerned about climate change and more adamant that the US needs to address the issue, according to a poll unveiled Thursday by a green diversity group.
Non-white voters also are more likely to make climate action a priority than white voters in ranking “addressing climate change” among three top priorities when considering candidates on the ballot, including in the November midterm elections, according to the poll.
Elevated concern among communities of color about climate effects—including extreme weather, wildfires, and flooding—isn’t unexpected, given the disproportionate impact suffered by those communities from planetary warming, said Green 2.0, a nonprofit watchdog group that commissioned the poll of 1,000 likely general election voters.
To deliver “true environmental justice,” policies must be enacted put disadvantaged communities at the center, Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) said in a statement.
The poll’s findings reinforce “the need to act now to fight climate change with a focus on equity,” she said.
Higher Priority Given
Voters of color give a higher priority to climate action than white voters, according to the poll. While just 50% of all surveyed say it’s “very important” for the US to address climate change, that support climbs to 64% for Hispanic and Latino, 59% for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and 53% for Black voters.
Non-white voters also are more likely to be worried or extremely worried about climate change than voters in general, with 82% of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander voters saying they are worried and 42% extremely worried about the issue.
Seventy-four percent of Black voters are worried and 36% extremely worried, according to the survey. Of the Hispanic and Latino voters polled, 74% say they are worried and 43% extremely worried about climate change.
Those numbers all outstrip general voter concerns across Democrats, Republicans, and independents, with 68% worried about climate and just 34% extremely worried.
Climate change has often been viewed as a lower-tier issue for voters—though a higher priority for registered Democrats—particularly in periods of economic uncertainty. For example, inflation tops other issues in the Green 2.0 poll as the most important one for voters at 37%, with climate change trailing well behind, with just 10% of likely voters considering it a top priority in casting their votes.
Other recent polls continue to find that while there is significant support among registered voters for climate action, that backing declines significantly for independent and Republican voters.
Roughly half of registered voters see climate change as either a “very important” or “one of the most important issues” in casting their congressional vote, according to a September Washington Post-ABC News poll. But those results vary widely by party: 79% of Democrats consider the issue very important or a top priority, but that fell to 46% for independents and just 27% for Republicans.
To contact the reporter on this story: Dean Scott in Washington at dscott@bloombergindustry.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Zachary Sherwood at zsherwood@bloombergindustry.com
