Though climate change is a priority for senators, who spent close to 15 hours discussing it on the Senate floor earlier this week, it’s not a top concern for constituents, a poll released Wednesday found.
The Gallup poll found that only 24 percent of respondents worried about climate change “a great deal,” making it the 14th biggest worry Americans have today.
The top concern was the economy, with 59 percent saying they worry a lot, with federal spending and the budget deficit, the affordability of healthcare, unemployment, and the size and power of the federal government rounding out the top five biggest worries.
The Social Security system, homelessness, the possibility of future terrorist attacks and drug use also all were bigger concerns than climate change. The only thing people worried about less was race relations in the U.S.
While it’s not a top worry for any group, climate change is a bigger concern for Democrats than Republicans. Thirty-six percent of Democrats worry about climate change a great deal, while just 10 percent of Republicans do the same. The top concern for Democrats was the availability and affordability of healthcare, while Republicans worried the most about federal spending and the deficit.
The results are based on telephone interviews with more than 500 adults across the country between March 6-9. The margin of error is 6 percent.
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COVERAGE: Energy & Environment
