ISTPP Director Vedlitz, ISTPP Fellow James Stoutenborough, and Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo have published their article, “Public Support for Climate Change Policy: Consistency in the Influence of Values and Attitudes over Time and Across Specific Policy Alternatives,” in Review of Policy Research. In this study, the authors examine the factors that explain public preferences for climate change policy. Using data from two national surveys taken three years apart, the researchers analyze public support for five climate change policy options to clarify the extent to which attitudes and values affect support for specific policy considerations compared to their predictive ability for generalized policy support. The research reveals that time matters and that those who are liberal, hold strong ecological values, express greater concern for climate change, and trust experts show more support for each of the five climate policy options considered. The authors conclude that the results shed new light on the nuanced views of the American public toward climate change.

This article was based on research conducted by ISTPP under two grants awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

James W. Soutenborough, Arnold Vedlitz, and Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo. 2014. “Public Support for Climate Change Policy: Consistency in the Influence of Values and Attitudes over Time and Across Specific Policy Alternatives.” Review of Policy Research 31(6): 555-583 DOI: 10.1111/ropr.12104