U.S. Republican & Independent Climate Scepticism Spreading — Despite Recent Natural Disasters
Republicans are more skeptical than ever that climate change is a problem, and the partisan gap on the issue appears to be widening under President Donald Trump. Sixty-nine percent of Republicans say the threat of climate change is “exaggerated,” according to a new Gallup poll.
That’s compared to only 4% of Democrats who said the same thing.
While the poll indicates the majority of Americans agree with the scientific consensus and are concerned about climate change, Republicans are less convinced — even compared to last year.
In 2017, 53% of Republicans agreed that most scientists believe climate change is occurring. That number declined to 42% in 2018, as the Trump Administration has scrubbed mentions of climate change from federal websites, instructed bureaucrats from different agencies to refrain from using the term, and backed out of the Paris Agreement.
Moreover, only 35% of Republicans believe climate change is caused by human activities, down from 40% in 2017. That’s compared to 89% of Democrats, up from 87% in 2017.
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