This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
At WashPo's Wonk Blog, Chris Mooney and Peyton Craighill are wondering why black and Latino Americans support climate action more than whites. They cite a Spring 2014 Washington Post/ABC News poll reporting that Hispanics and African Americans were more likely than U.S. whites to say climate change is a very serious problem confronting the country.
Surprised? I'm not. Here's a look at UT Energy Poll data collected over three years:
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Chris and Peyton suggest these differences might be an example of the "white male" effect, "in which white males have been found to be generally less concerned about a number of environmental and other types of risks." They add that Hispanic Americans may have "greater awareness of how people think and how they grapple with environmental issues in other parts of the world."
Both may be true, but I suspect partisan politics may be driving attitudes in the U.S. as well. Democrats are far more likely to think that climate change is occurring--and African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to belong to the Democratic party.
Of course, it's also possible that African Americans and Hispanics are driving the differences we see among political parties. What do you think?
