Affective Climate and Political Polarization: Identity, Ideology, and Support for Climate Policy.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Psychology
• Political Science
• Climate Change Communication

Background:

• Affective polarization, the emotional distance between political groups, is a growing concern.
• Understanding affective climate polarization (ACP) and affective political polarization (APP) is crucial for addressing climate change.
• Existing research often overlooks the distinct emotional divides related to climate policy versus general political affiliation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine affective climate polarization (ACP) and affective political polarization (APP) in Canada.
• To identify predictors of varying levels of ACP and APP.
• To assess the predictive power of ACP and APP on support for carbon taxes and beliefs about job impacts of decarbonization.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of original, representative Canadian survey data (n = 2503).
• Statistical examination of factors influencing ACP and APP.
• Regression analysis to determine the relationship between polarization measures, carbon tax support, and job beliefs.

Main Results:

• Decarbonization attitudes strongly predict ACP.
• Ideological alignment is a key predictor of APP for both liberals and conservatives.
• On the political right, decarbonization attitudes also influence APP.
• Support for carbon taxes and beliefs about job creation are more strongly linked to political ideology and decarbonization attitudes than to affective polarization.

Conclusions:

• Climate politics significantly intensify partisan animosity, with distinct patterns for the left and right.
• Emotional divides over climate change are shaped by both issue-specific attitudes and broader political ideologies.
• Policy support and economic beliefs regarding climate action are primarily driven by ideology and issue stances, not solely by affective polarization.