FAU Survey Finds Floridians Believe in Climate Change and Want Government Action
Highlights
- There remains virtual unanimity (90%) among Floridians about whether or not climate change is happening. This share is consistent with our preceding 8 waves, which range from 86% to 92%. A recent Yale study suggests the corresponding number for the United States is much lower (74%).
- Floridians overwhelmingly support more government action to address the impacts of climate change (69% for state action, 70% for Federal action).
- Looking to the future, this cross-party support for climate action appears likely to strengthen as the state’s population continues to boom, welcoming some 400,000 new residents per year. Newer arrivals in the 8th & 9th waves exhibiting slightly higher levels of belief in human-caused climate change than people who have lived in Florida longer than 5 years.
- Our data appear to support this notion:
- 60% of Floridians report some level of negative impact by strong winds from a hurricane or tornado in the past 12 months.
- 45% of Floridians report some level of negative impact from flooding in the past 12 months.
- Statewide belief in the human-caused nature of climate change dropped since the March survey (from 65% to 57%).
Methodology
The survey was conducted in English and Spanish from September 22–28, 2023. The sample consisted of 1,400 Floridians, age 18 and older, with a survey margin of error of +/- 2.53 percentage points. The data were collected using an online panel provided by GreatBlue Research. Responses for the entire sample were weighted to adjust for age, race, income, education and gender, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Surveys. It is important to remember that subsets carry higher margins of error. For more information, survey results, and full cross-tabulations, visit www.ces.fau.edu/ces-bepi/ or contact Colin Polsky, Ph.D., at cpolsky@fau.edu.
Editor’s note: FAU’s Center for Environmental Studies manages and provides financial support for The Invading Sea.
