The role of race and ethnicity in climate change polarization: evidence from a US national survey experiment
The role of race and ethnicity in climate change polarization: evidence from a US national survey experiment
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DOI：
10.1007/s10584-016-1631-3
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发表时间：
2016-06-01
期刊：
影响因子：
4.8
通讯作者：
Pearson, Adam R.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Schuldt, Jonathon P.;Pearson, Adam R.
研究表明，公众在气候变化问题上的分歧可能往往植根于身份认同过程，部分原因是与具有类似政治和意识形态观点的人交往的动机。在一项针对2041名美国成年人的大型分裂投票全国调查实验中，我们探讨了无党派身份-种族/民族多数和少数民族身份-在气候变化观点中的作用，以及受访者的政治取向（即，意识形态和党派关系）。具体而言，我们研究了受访者的气候信仰和政策支持，与支持环境事业的群体（“环保主义者”）的认同，以及这些信仰对其他已知预测问题极化（政治取向和问题框架）的因素的敏感性。结果显示，在所有的意见指标中，非白人的观点在政治上比白人的观点更不两极分化，并且不受不同的问题框架（如“全球变暖”与“气候变化”）的影响。此外，与白人相比，非白人不太可能自我认同为环保主义者，尽管他们表达了存在信念，并支持将温室气体控制在与白人相当的水平。这些发现表明，种族和民族身份可以以以前被忽视的方式塑造核心气候变化信念。我们认为公众宣传和气候科学倡导的影响。
Research suggests that public divides on climate change may often be rooted in identity processes, driven in part by a motivation to associate with others with similar political and ideological views. In a large split-ballot national survey experiment of 2041 U.S. adults, we explored the role of a non-partisan identity-racial/ethnic majority and minority status-in climate change opinion, in addition to respondents' political orientation (i.e., ideology and party affiliation). Specifically, we examined respondents' climate beliefs and policy support, identification with groups that support environmental causes ("environmentalists"), and the sensitivity of these beliefs to other factors known to predict issue polarization (political orientation and issue framing). Results revealed that across all opinion metrics, non-Whites' views were less politically polarized than those of Whites and were unaffected by exposure to different ways of framing the issue (as "global warming" versus "climate change"). Moreover, non-Whites were reliably less likely to self-identify as environmentalists compared to Whites, despite expressing existence beliefs and support for regulating greenhouse gases at levels comparable to Whites. These findings suggest that racial and ethnic identities can shape core climate change beliefs in previously overlooked ways. We consider implications for public outreach and climate science advocacy.