UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION POLICY SUPPORT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Azdren Coma

doi:10.7273/000007342

A discrepancy exists between public concern for climate change and support for policy solutions for climate change. Understanding why there is a discrepancy between concern and support is important to reduce that discrepancy. Much of this discrepancy has been attributed to sharp political divisions in support of climate policies. However, climate change policies are not one-dimensional. Only a few studies have examined differences in support in a way that distinguishes mitigation from adaptation policies, with a small number suggesting less political division over adaptation policies. This dissertation aims to fill this gap in the literature by exploring the latent structure of public support for climate change policies and understanding the nuanced variations in partisan support across different types of climate change policies. This dissertation utilizes survey data from voting-age U.S. residents to expand understanding of the multiple dimensions of public support for climate change policies. It is organized in a three-study format, each constituting a distinct paper, with each paper being suitable for independent submission to academic journals. The first study uses exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to uncover the underlying structural dimensions of climate change policy support. The findings show that support for climate change policies is better understood as a multidimensional construct that distinguishes mitigation from adaptation policies. Researchers should avoid overly generalized discussions of climate change policies and should rather clearly specify whether they are referring to climate mitigation or adaptation policies in their research. The second study analyzes how political identity shapes public support for climate mitigation and adaptation policies. A comprehensive investigation of support for mitigation and adaptation policies reveals nuanced differences among Republicans in their support for adaptation versus mitigation. While Democrats show similar levels of support for mitigation and adaptation policies, Republicans show higher levels of support for adaptation than mitigation policies. These findings offer critical insights for crafting more successful policy approaches, which take advantage of the knowledge that climate adaptation policies are less polarized. The third study investigates a belief known as the inverted quarantine impulse, which maintains that individuals can personally shield themselves from climate harm. It examines how this impulse interacts with political identity to influence climate policy support preferences. The findings suggest that the inverted quarantine impulse may drive greater support for adaptation over mitigation policies. An interaction effect was found for Republicans who have higher levels of the inverted quarantine impulse, showing that they also have higher levels of support for climate mitigation policies.

UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION POLICY SUPPORT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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