VOTERS BACK NEW ENERGY

The Impact of Candidates’ Statements about Climate Change on Electoral Success in 2010: Experimental Evidences
Jon A. Krosnick, Bo MacInnis, Ana Villar, June 2011, (Stanford University, National
Science Foundation and Woods Institute for the Environment)

"More than a decade of national surveys suggest that the vast majority of Americans who attach personal importance to the issue of climate change take what might be called ‘green’ positions on that issue – endorsing the existence of warming, human causation, and the need for ameliorative action. This finding suggests that candidates running for office can gain votes by taking green positions and might lose votes by expressing skepticism about climate change…

"…This paper describes tests of these hypotheses in experiments embedded in a national survey and in surveys carried out in three states with representative samples of adults…"

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"…Among Democratic and Independent respondents, a hypothetical Senate candidate gained votes by taking a green position and lost votes by taking a not-green position…Taking a green or not-green position on climate change had no significant impact on the voting behavior of Republican citizens…

"…These results suggest that by taking a green position on climate, candidates of either party can gain the votes of some citizens while not alienating others."