Polling shows that US voters favor climate bills - yet assume fellow Americans don't Adrienne Matei

[Uncle Joe]

(snip)

In a peer-reviewed article, researchers shared the results of a nationwide survey of 6,000 Americans, for which participants were asked to estimate the percentage of Americans who were “at least somewhat concerned about climate change”. Participants also estimated the percentage of Americans they thought supported specific climate policies including carbon taxes for fossil fuel companies, renewable energy mandates, building renewable energy projects on public lands, and a Green New Deal.

(snip)

“Climate policy and concern about climate change are much more prevalent than you think in the US,” one of the study’s authors, Gregg Sparkman, told Scientific American. “And virtually everyone in the country seems to greatly underestimate how popular climate policy is and to underestimate how concerned their fellow Americans are about climate change.”

Despite polls by Yale’s Program on Climate Change Communication showing that a “supermajority” of 66–80% of Americans support these climate policies, the average American estimates that only a minority of 37–43% of the public are down for the eco cause. Republicans proved especially pessimistic about how much people care about climate change, though virtually half of Republicans are pro-climate policies, says Sparkman. In truth, the issue of securing a livable future appears to enjoy bipartisan support.

It turns out that the feeling of being alienated in one’s concern for the environment is as widespread as it is unfounded. In fact, this study captures a phenomenon known as “pluralistic ignorance”, a shared misconception of the thoughts and behaviors of others. In this case, pluralistic ignorance results in what the authors call a “false social reality” in which many of us perceive that others aren’t willing to take action on climate issues, and overestimate how many Americans are indifferent to, or in denial of, climate change.

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/01/us-voters-assume-fellow-americans-dont-favor-climate-bills

I wonder how our nation became victim to "pluralistic ignorance" on such a critical issue of mass life and death, any ideas corporate media?

[Salviati]

1. A failure of the bothsiderism riddling our media.

Not only is it misrepresenting the scientific consensus, it's misrepresenting the popular consensus as well.

[Uncle Joe]

2. Precisely Salviati

and I believe that's largely due to inherent financial conflicts of interest and ownership with them.

I believe that's also at the root of the problem in regards to the crisis in our democracy.