Partisan asymmetry in temporal stability of climate change beliefs

Hank C. Jenkins-Smith (), Joseph T. Ripberger (), Carol L. Silva, Deven E. Carlson, Kuhika Gupta, Nina Carlson, Ani Ter-Mkrtchyan and Riley E. Dunlap
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Hank C. Jenkins-Smith: University of Oklahoma
Joseph T. Ripberger: University of Oklahoma
Carol L. Silva: University of Oklahoma
Deven E. Carlson: University of Oklahoma
Kuhika Gupta: University of Oklahoma
Nina Carlson: University of Oklahoma
Ani Ter-Mkrtchyan: University of Oklahoma
Riley E. Dunlap: Oklahoma State University

Nature Climate Change, 2020, vol. 10, issue 4, 322-328

Abstract: Abstract Existing literature on climate change beliefs in the US suggests that partisan polarization begets climate change polarization and that the climate beliefs of those on both sides of the partisan divide are firmly held and invariable. Here, we use data from a large panel survey of Oklahoma residents administered quarterly from 2014 through 2018 to challenge this perspective. Contrary to the expectation of rough symmetry in partisan polarization on climate change, we find that partisans on the political right have much more unstable beliefs about climate change than partisans on the left. An important implication is that if climate beliefs are well anchored on the left, but less so on the right, the latter are more susceptible to change. We interpret this to suggest that, despite polarizing elite rhetoric, public beliefs about climate change maintain the potential to shift towards broader acceptance and a perceived need for action.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41558-020-0719-y

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