Identity and Wildfire Risk: Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Climate Change Attitudes in Los Angeles

Adrian D. Pantoja, Sarah Allen Gershon, Samantha Gottsegen, Journey Lipscomb and Shayla Riley

Social Science Quarterly, 2026, vol. 107, issue 2

Abstract: Objective This article examines the effects of wildfire risks and other factors in structuring Latina/o, Black, Asian‐American, and White attitudes toward climate change and a willingness to pay for renewable energy. Methods Our analysis comes from the Los Angeles Public Opinion Survey (LAPOS). Ordered logistic and logistic regressions are used to test the effects of personal experiences and threat perceptions, social norms, political beliefs, and racial, ethnic, and gender identity in shaping environmental attitudes. Results Climate change risk perceptions are highest among Latina/o, Black, and women survey respondents. Yet, these same groups were less willing to bear greater costs for clean energy. Threat perceptions in the form of wildfire risks significantly shaped attitudes across different ethnic and racial groups in Los Angeles. Conclusion This study advances our understanding of climate change attitudes among Angelenos with different racial, ethnic, and gender identities. The unique survey and sample allow us to comparatively test the effects of a wide range of theoretically relevant factors that are known to shape attitudes toward climate change and policies to mitigate its adverse effects.

Date: 2026
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