When Pope Francis urged Catholics around the world to believe in and fight against climate change, he may have been preaching to the choir.
A slight majority of Catholic Republicans already believe in climate change, according to a study released Thursday by Yale University to coincide with the pope’s encyclical.
Reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage and responsibility. #LaudatoSi
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) June 19, 2015
That’s against the Republican party line. About 6 in 10 non-Catholic Republicans say they don’t believe in climate change. Overall, Democrats are twice as likely to believe in climate change as Republicans, according to Pew Research.
Catholics make up one-quarter of all Americans, with most identifying as politically conservative or moderate. About one-third of them are Republicans, which means the pope’s encyclical could have major political implications.
Average Global Temperature | FindTheData
Among scientists, there is almost universal agreement that climate change is real and caused by humans. But less than 30 percent of all Republicans knew that — Catholic or not.
Belief in global warming decreased for both Catholic and non-Catholic Republicans when they identified as “conservative.”
Still, most Republicans said they approve of renewable energy and energy efficient tax rebates.
CO2 Emissions World Map | FindTheData
Gavin Stern is a national digital producer for the Scripps National Desk.
