What Went Down In The 2018 Midterms

That’s a really good point Maggie. The environment is an important issue for many people, Democrats in particular, but there are so many other issues vying for attention this election cycle.

My gut was that it wouldn’t be a major factor in how people vote, Chad. And, looking at the data on this now, I’m kind of right. But also kind of not.

For instance, Pew found that 63 percent of all registered voters say the environment is very important to their vote this year. But that also puts it 10th on a list of the issues that mattered most.

Well, Chad, climate change in particular has become a partisan issue. Research by Dan Kahan’s cultural cognition project at Yale Law School shows that, “What people ‘believe’ about global warming doesn’t reflect what they know; it expresses who they are.” So If you’re a Democrat, climate change might be an issue that influences your vote, but it might be less important if you’re a republican.