Two-fifths of Americans say climate change will influence their vote in 2020 election, according to poll

(The Independent, 18 May 2019) Global warming a 'top-tier' issue for Democrats but only 12 per cent of Republicans say it is 'very important'.

Two-fifths of American voters say climate change will influence how they cast their ballots in the 2020 presidential election, a poll has found.

The burgeoning ranks of Democratic candidates are under particular pressure to offer solutions to environmental problems, according to researchers.

“This is truly a top-tier issue for the Democratic base,” said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Programme on Climate Change Communication, which put out the poll along with George Mason University.

In the survey of more than 1,000 people, 38 per cent of respondents said a candidate’s position on global warming would be “very important” to them when polling opens in 18 months’ time, up five points from 2016.

So far two presidential hopefuls – Beto O’Rourke and Jay Inslee – have rolled out detailed climate platforms while another, Elizabeth Warren, has offered a handful of specific proposals, experts said. Frontrunner Joe Biden is also feeling the heat.

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The Independent, 18 May 2019: Two-fifths of Americans say climate change will influence their vote in 2020 election, according to poll