Survey study uncovers widespread partial climate skepticism across mainstream local political elites, suggesting intra-party divisions challenge climate policy implementation.
Key Points
Investigate the spectrum of climate change attitudes among municipal political elites, focusing on nuanced forms of skepticism and intra-party variation.
Conducted an original web survey of municipal council members across Saxony and Thuringia in eastern Germany.
Developed an analytical framework categorizing a 'gray zone' of skepticism that combines acceptance of anthropogenic warming with doubt regarding impacts, responsibilities, or interventions.
Identified substantial partial climate skepticism extending past far-right parties into mainstream political alignments.
Observed significant intra-party heterogeneity across multiple dimensions of climate skepticism, demonstrating that local political parties do not act as monolithic organizations.