Local temperature anomalies increase climate policy interest and support: Analysis of internet searches and US congressional votes

Abstract

Two studies examine the effects of anomalous temperature deviations (compared to ten-year averages) on interest in and support for climate policies. Study 1 analyzes the impacts of local temperature anomalies on information acquisition, namely Google searches about climate change and climate policies. We find strong evidence that temperature anomalies increase climate change information acquisition. Our results show that deviations from seasonal norms in both directions, i.e., temperatures higher or lower than expected, positively predict increased interest. Study 2 analyzes a highly consequential behavior, namely voting for Republican candidates, who in the timeframe of our data were not likely to support climate policies. Analysis of voting records from ten US midterm elections from 2002 to 2020 show that local temperature anomalies significantly decreased Republican candidates’ vote shares.

Keywords: local warming effect, climate policy support, climate mitigation behavior

JEL Classification: Q54, Q58