Department of Sociology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, United States of America.
Environmental Studies Program, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2019 Jul 10;14(7):e0217608. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217608. eCollection 2019.
The topics of climate change and renewable energy are often linked in policy discussions and scientific analysis, but public opinion on these topics exhibits both overlap and divergence. Although renewable energy has potentially broader acceptance than anthropogenic climate change, it can also face differently-based opposition. Analyses of US and regional surveys, including time series of repeated surveys in New Hampshire (2010-2018) and northeast Oregon (2011-2018), explore the social bases and trends of public views on both issues. Political divisions are prominent, although somewhat greater regarding climate change due to substantive differences and more partisan opposition. Regarding climate change and to a lesser extent renewable energy, political divisions tends to widen with education. There also are robust age and temporal effects: younger adults more often prioritize renewable energy development, and agree with scientists on the reality of anthropogenic climate change (ACC). Across all age groups and both regional series, support for renewable energy and recognition of ACC have been gradually rising. Contrary to widespread speculation, these trends have not visibly responded to events such as the US hurricanes of 2012, 2017 or 2018. Together with age-cohort replacement and the potential for changes in age-group voting participation, however, the gradual trends suggest that public pressure for action on these issues could grow.
气候变化和可再生能源这两个话题在政策讨论和科学分析中经常联系在一起，但公众对这些话题的看法既有重叠也有分歧。虽然可再生能源的潜在接受度可能比人为气候变化更广泛，但它也可能面临基于不同原因的反对。对美国和地区调查的分析，包括新罕布什尔州（2010-2018 年）和俄勒冈州东北部（2011-2018 年）的重复调查时间序列，探讨了公众对这两个问题的社会基础和趋势的看法。政治分歧很明显，尽管由于实质性差异和更多党派反对，气候变化的分歧更大。关于气候变化，在一定程度上可再生能源的分歧随着教育程度的提高而扩大。还有强大的年龄和时间效应：年轻人更倾向于发展可再生能源，并且认同科学家关于人为气候变化（ACC）的现实。在所有年龄组和两个地区系列中，对可再生能源的支持和对 ACC 的认识都在逐渐上升。与广泛的猜测相反，这些趋势并没有明显响应美国 2012 年、2017 年或 2018 年的飓风等事件。然而，随着年龄组更替和年龄组投票参与的变化潜力，这些逐渐的趋势表明，公众对这些问题采取行动的压力可能会增加。
