… Many scientists have been working to determine when strange weather can be attributed to climate change. I have focused my research on examining Americans’ understanding of how strange weather and climate change are related. Here’s what I’ve found: Political orientation determines attitudes toward both climate change and extreme weather […] Read more »
Are Smart People Ruining Democracy?
Is political polarization over the reality of climate change, the efficacy of gun control, the safety of nuclear power, and other policy-relevant facts attributable to a simple deficit in public science literacy? Dan Kahan reviews study results showing that polarization on complex factual issues rises in lockstep with culturally diverse […] Read more »
Trump isn’t driving the climate change conversation. For a decade, he’s been following it.
As might have been expected, President Trump refused to join the rest of the Group of 20 nations in endorsing a communique about climate change presented over the weekend. By now, nearly two years into the Trump administration, the United States’ climate isolationism is not remarkable. It’s worth remembering, though, […] Read more »
Conflicting Partisan Priorities for U.S. Foreign Policy
The public’s leading long-range foreign policy goals for the United States are focused on security, including economic security. About seven-in-ten (72%) say that taking measures to protect the U.S. from terrorist attacks should be a top priority for the country, while about as many (71%) say the same about protecting […] Read more »
A political blockade is colliding with the evidence on climate change
In rapid succession, the results of this month’s election and the release of blockbuster new scientific studies are widening the distance between the politics and science of climate change. The massive new study released by federal scientists Friday, like another landmark analysis in October from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel […] Read more »
Gender Differences in Public Understanding of Climate Change
While political views play a strong role in Americans’ opinions on climate change, there are many other individual, social, and cultural factors that influence public understanding of the issue. Here we explore how views on climate change differ between men and women. A large body of research shows a small—but […] Read more »