AAPI more likely to believe in climate change: poll
By Ryan General
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are more likely than the general U.S. population to believe in climate change and its human causes, according to a new poll.
- An overwhelming majority (84%) of AAPI respondents believe climate change is real, compared with 74% of all U.S. adults, according to the AAPI Data and AP-NORC poll.
- Three-quarters of AAPI adults attribute climate change primarily to human activity, compared to 61% of the general adult population.
- Partisanship appears less influential on AAPI environmental views than the general population.
- AAPIs may be more invested in climate action due to connections to countries severely affected by climate change.
- The poll, conducted from March 4-11, surveyed 1,005 AAPI adults using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based Amplify AAPI Panel. The sample is designed to be representative of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations.
- AAPI Democrats express climate change concern at levels similar to Democrats in the general population. AAPI Republicans have a greater belief in climate change than Republicans overall (68% vs. 49%).
- Adrian Wong, an AAPI conservative, suggested to AP that higher exposure to scientific fields could contribute to greater awareness and acceptance of climate change.
- Respondents with relatives in countries heavily impacted by climate change, such as Pakistan, India and China, may have heightened AAPI awareness. Experts see AAPI views as evidence that environmentalism is a key concern for this growing demographic.
- Scientists overwhelmingly agree that human-caused emissions are driving rising temperatures and extreme weather patterns.
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