Climate change still a concern, but not as much as in past years, per new Monmouth University poll

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Monmouth University’s polling center has been tracking public opinion on climate change for years, and poll director Patrick Murray said that while a majority of respondents say climate change is still a very serious concern, it’s no longer on top of their list of concerns.

Even more surprising according to Murray is the dropoff of concern from young people between the ages of 18 and 34.

“It was younger adults who were leading the charge on climate change in the past. They now have shifted to other concerns,” he said. “When we ask about the election coming up, very few people mention climate change as one of their top issues. They’re all looking at inflation and immigration and abortion as the issues that are driving their vote.”

Murray also said that this is the first time in nearly a decade that there isn’t a big gap among the different age groups when asked if climate change is a major concern and if government policies should address the problem.

Three years ago, 67% of 18-34 year-olds surveyed said climate change was a very serious problem, with 82% saying the government should do something about it. Now, only 50% of those surveyed between 18 and 34 said it was very serious and only 62% called for government action.

“I think there’s still belief that there’s still time to fix it, and maybe right now we need to focus on some other problems,” he said.

Opinions on climate change are also still deeply partisan, with Democrats largely calling it a big problem with few Republicans also taking that stance.