Acceptance of Global Warming Rising for Americans of all Religious Beliefs

November 2015

The release earlier this year of the Papal Encyclical, Laudato Si’, and the visit of Pope Francis to the United States have reinvigorated the discussion of the relationship between religion and perceptions of global warming. This report, pulling from eight years of survey data from the National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE), traces the relationship between religious affiliation and belief in global warming, and the role that religion and morality play in shaping environmental attitudes. It also draws upon Fall 2015 survey data specifically about Pope Francis to better understand the impact of the Papal call-to-action on acceptance of global warming among Americans, Catholics and non-Catholics alike.