Monday, January 20th marked the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term as President. On his first day back in office, a series of executive orders were signed, including the pivotal decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. This move represents a strong rejection of climate action, reflecting the stark divide between Republican and Democrat voter priorities as highlighted by GlobeScan’s latest public opinion research.
While those who describe their political affiliation as Democrat rate climate change as the most serious global issue from a range of environmental, economic, and societal challenges, those who instead say their affiliation is Republican place it at the very bottom of their list. Seven in ten Democrats (71%) consider climate change a “very serious” issue compared to just 31 percent of Republicans.
Instead, Republicans’ greatest concerns lie with war and conflict followed by the state of the global economy. Democrats, on the other hand, prioritize climate change and water pollution as their top issues. Hunger and malnutrition rank third for both groups, though Democrats are more likely to view these as “very serious” problems. Social issues such as gender inequality and unfair treatment of workers are ranked relatively low by both parties, but Democrats express significantly more concern than Republicans.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
These results highlight the deep divisions within the American public. Republicans’ lack of concern about climate change suggests they are likely to support dismantling environmental policies, while the 71 percent of Democrats who view climate change as a very serious issue (with over four in ten feeling greatly personally affected by it) will demand strong action to address the crisis. With the federal government’s retreat from climate leadership, pressure will increasingly fall on businesses, states, and city governments to respond, particularly in the wake of extreme weather events like the Los Angeles wildfires.
Despite these stark differences, there is some common ground on the seriousness of hunger and malnutrition. Organizations, particularly in the food and beverage sector, may find opportunities to leverage this shared concern by aligning their sustainability agendas with food security and nutrition. By focusing on areas of mutual interest, it may be possible to build broader support for sustainability initiatives.
Based on a representative online survey of over 30,000 people across 31 countries and territories, GlobeScan’s Radar draws upon two decades of polling public opinion to provide unique insights into people’s perspectives on societal actors and the issues affecting them.
Survey Question: For each of the following possible global problems, please indicate if you see it as a very serious, somewhat serious, not very serious, or not at all serious problem.
Source: GlobeScan Radar Trends Report (survey of 30,216 people in the general public in July ‒ August 2024)
