This paper investigates the patterns of political polarization in environmental and climate change attitudes in the United States from 1973 to 2022 using harmonized data from four unique surveys. The study finds that while contemporary attitudes show symmetrical polarization (Democrats and Republicans equidistant from the median), historical trends reveal asymmetric polarization. Republicans became less pro-environmental starting in the early 1990s, while Democrats exhibited a recent increase in pro-environmental attitudes since the mid-2010s. This greening of Democratic attitudes offers potential opportunities for overcoming inertia in climate action.

E. Keith Smith, M. Julia Bognar, Adam P. Mayer