Affective Climate and Political Polarization: Identity, Ideology, and Support for Climate Policy

This paper examines affective climate polarization (ACP) and affective political polarization (APP) - emotional distance between supporters and opponents of decarbonization and political partisans, respectively. Analyzing original, representative Canadian survey data (n = 2503), we examine why people have differing levels of ACP and APP and the extent to which ACP and APP predict support for a carbon tax and beliefs about how decarbonization will affect jobs. The intensity of individuals' support or opposition to decarbonization is the most important factor in predicting ACP. The strength of ideological alignment predicts APP among both liberals and conservatives, and, on the political right only, attitudes to decarbonization also explain variation in APP. Support for an industrial carbon tax and belief that decarbonization will increase jobs are related to political ideology and attitudes toward decarbonization more strongly than to either measure of affective polarization. These findings show that climate politics intensify partisan animosity, albeit in different ways on the political left and right.