The bombardment from the media and Biden administration that the public faces every day over the possible hurt of global warming and climate change is apparently having little impact, according to a series of unrelated new surveys on the issue.
In the latest polls released Tuesday, Americans listed concern about climate change low as they face more immediate issues related to the economy and inflation.
While the media has harped all summer about the heat and drought crushing the Western United States and Europe, for example, a new global Pew survey said Americans find it the least of their worries versus nine of 19 nations that say it’s their top concern.
Pew said the U.S. joined Singapore, Malaysia, and South Korea in listing climate change last versus such nations as the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and France, which said it is the biggest threat to their country.
Instead, the issue worrying Americans most, and cited by 71%, was “cyber attacks from other countries.”
Scientists blame climate change as consumers mourn the potential loss of a seafood delicacy. @washingtonpost https://t.co/dCmek1vMJm
— Civil Eats (@CivilEats) August 27, 2022
Pew blamed politics. “Despite the dire concerns about climate change in Europe, concerns are relatively muted in the U.S., as they have been for years. Views on climate change as a threat are linked to political divisiveness in the U.S., something also seen in the other countries surveyed, with those on the ideological left showing more concern about climate change than those on the right,” said the survey outfit.
In fact, it found that the U.S. is host to the biggest political divide on climate change, a 63-point gap between the Right that isn’t concerned and the Left that is.
Meanwhile, an Ipsos survey just in also put the issue far down on the list of what concerns respondents.
Just 8% cited “environment and climate” as the most important issue facing the U.S., which, they said, is the economy, at 29%.
That survey, which socked President Joe Biden with a very low 38% approval rating, said the only issue partisans agree on is that the economy is a problem. After that, division rules.
“The economy (29%) is the most important problem to Americans, followed by crime or corruption (9%), the environment and climate (8%), and the healthcare system (6%). For Democrats, the order of importance is the economy (24%), the environment (13%), the end of national abortion rights (11%), and crime or corruption (9%). Among Republicans it is the economy (34%), crime or corruption (11%), immigration (11%), and morality (8%). Finally, among independents, the economy is also the top concern (30%), followed by the environment (12%), and the healthcare system (8%),” said the analysis.
