Public Support for Both the Environment and an Anti-Environmental President: Possible Explanations for the George W. Bush Anomaly

The authors explore the apparent anomaly of strong public support for the environment and popular public support for a president with a poor environmental rating by groups such as the League of Conservation Voters. In attempting to understand why there have not been public outcries against George W. Bush’s anti-environmental policies like those that occurred during the Reagan presidency, the authors present three possible explanations: a lag time phenomenon, change in media coverage and ownership, and redefined issue salience.