Public Resource
YPCCC’s Resources on Climate in the 2024 U.S. General Election
Anthony Leiserowitz, Edward Maibach, Jennifer Carman et al. Yale University and George Mason University
Many important climate policies, including the transition to clean energy, investments in underserved and more vulnerable communities, and participation in international climate treaties, will be determined by voters’ choices in the 2024 elections. In California, voters are voting on Proposition 4, which would fund flood protection and climate resiliency projects. In Washington state, voters are being asked to repeal the state’s cap-and-invest program and to preempt local governments from restricting access to methane gas. This research has tracked global warming as a voting priority in each presidential and midterm election since 2014. In 2024, 39% of registered voters overall say that global warming is a “very important” issue for their vote, including 70% of liberal Democrats, 51% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 19% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 8% of conservative Republicans. We find that the percentage of voters who think global warming is a “very important” issue has increased slightly over time, with 32% of registered voters saying so in 2014 and 39% saying so in 2024.