Zogby Post-Election Poll: Dems Gained From Global Warming Debate
Half of Americans who voted in the mid-term elections said concern about global warming made a difference in who they voted for on Election Day 2006, according to a recent Zogby International post-election survey. Eighty-five percent of these voters who felt global warming was important cast their votes for Democratic Congressional candidates, including 48 percent of Independents and 7 percent of Republicans. The national Zogby
Interactive poll surveyed 19,356 adults and contained a margin of error of +/-
0.7 percentage points. Also in the
post-election survey, a solid majority (58%) of voters agreed their elected
officials "should make combating global warming a high priority." Three-quarters (75%) of Americans who voted
in the mid-term elections say the "U.S. Congress should pass legislation
promoting renewable and alternative energy sources as an effective way to
reduce global warming pollution." "Global warming
was overshadowed in this election by the dominant issue of Iraq," said John
Zogby. "But exit polling shows that global warming was a sleeper issue that may
have snuck up on politicians in close races.
Global warming was most influential among Latinos and youth - two
constituencies that helped propel Democratic gains. There are also signs that
global warming may be eroding support for Republicans among religious
voters. Looking ahead, politicians in
both parties ignore this issue at their peril." Global warming
concerns were strongest among Hispanic voters, with 62 percent saying global
warming was important in their voting.
Overall, the post-election survey showed that fewer Hispanic voters
voted for Republicans in 2006 than voted for George Bush in 2004. Concerns about
global warming were also stronger among younger voters (those under 30) than
older generations, with 58 percent of youth saying a candidate's position on
global warming was important to their vote. A strong youth turnout in this
election, with 61 percent of voters aged 18-29 voting Democratic, also
contributed to Democratic gains.
Turnouts of under-30 voters increased by 2 million voters compared to
the 2002 mid-term elections. Global warming may
have contributed to the erosion of support for Republicans among religious
voters - 50 percent of Catholics identified global warming as important in
their 2006 vote. Overall, 49 percent of Catholics voted for Democrats, up from
45 percent support for Kerry in 2004. A
smaller number of Protestants - 41 percent -- considered global warming
significant, but even small losses of support among this Republican base may
have contributed to Democratic gains given the number of races decided by small
margins. According to the post-election
survey, 44 percent of Protestants voted for Democrats, up from 38 percent for
Kerry in 2004. The global warming
questions for Zogby's independent post-election survey were commissioned by the
National Wildlife Federation, a non-partisan conservation organization based in
Reston, Virginia.