Paris Agreement, April 2017
By more than 5 to 1, voters say the U.S. should participate in the
Paris Climate Agreement.
In December 2015, officials from 197 countries (nearly every country in the world) met in
Paris at the United Nations Climate Change Conference and negotiated a global agreement
to limit global warming. On Earth Day, April 2016, the U.S. and 174 other countries signed
the agreement, with most of the others following suit since then.
On Friday, Politico reported that President Trump’s senior advisors, including Jared
Kushner, Gary Cohn, Rex Tillerson, Rick Perry, Scott Pruit, H.R. McMaster, and Steve
Bannon are meeting this week (Earth Week), perhaps Tuesday, to decide whether the US
will stay in the Paris agreement or not.
What do American voters think about U.S. participation in the Paris Agreement? And what
do Trump voters think?
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Paris Agreement, April 2017
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1. By more than 5 to 1, voters say the U.S. should participate in the Paris Climate
Agreement.
In a nationally representative survey conducted after the election, we found that seven in
ten registered voters (69%) say the U.S. should participate in the COP21 agreement,
compared with only 13% who say the U.S. should not. Majorities of Democrats (86%) and
Independents (61%), and half of Republicans (51%) say the U.S. should participate
(including 73% of moderate/liberal Republicans). Only conservative Republicans are split,
with marginally more saying the U.S. should participate (40%) than saying we should not
participate (34%).1
Most Registered Voters Say the U.S. Should Participate in the
International Agreement to Curb Global Warming
- Only conservative Republicans are split Should participate
Should not participate
100%
Don't know
92%
86%
79%
75%
73%
69%
61%
51%
50%
40%
34%
25%
17%
13%
26%
22%
22%
16%
26%
16%
11%
7%
3%
1%
15%
12%
4%
0%
All Reg
Voters
(n=1,061)
Total Dem
(n=469)
Ind
(n=97)
Total Rep
(n=455)
Lib D
(n=239)
Mod/ Con D Lib/ Mod R
(n=227)
(n=143)
Con R
(n=310)
One year ago, the United States reached an international agreement in Paris with 196 other countries to limit the pollution
that causes global warming. Do you think the U.S. should participate in this agreement, or not participate?
Base: Registered American Voters 18+. November 2016.
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For more details, see our full report, “Politics & Global Warming, November 2016” here.
Paris Agreement, April 2017
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2. About half of Trump voters say the U.S. should participate in the Paris Agreement.
Almost half of Trump’s voters (47%) say the U.S. should participate in the Paris agreement,
compared with only 28% who say the U.S. should not. 2
About Half of Trump Voters Say U.S. Should Participate in the
International Agreement to Limit Global Warming
- Fewer than three in ten say the U.S. should not participate “Do you think the U.S. should participate in this agreement, or not participate?
Should not participate (28%)
Should participate (47%)
Don’t know (25%)
One year ago, the United States signed an international agreement in Paris with 196 other countries to limit the pollution that
causes global warming. Do you think the U.S. should participate in this agreement, or not participate?
Base: Trump Voters (n=401). November 2016.
Will President Trump side with the nationalists on his advisory team who want to
withdraw from the Paris agreement? Or will he side with the moderates, including his own
family members, a majority of Americans, and a plurality of his own voters, who want the
U.S. to continue to participate in the Paris Agreement to limit global warming? This may be
an important turning point in the future history of Earth.
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For more details, see our full report, “Trump Voters & Global Warming” here.