That鈥檚 a question that , a researcher at the University of New Hampshire who studies public views of climate change, has studied for more than a decade.
For years, he said, climate change awareness was growing in the U.S. But that slowed after the pandemic as conspiracies about the government and science exploded.
Hamilton said the is one reason extreme weather events fueled by climate change during election seasons. Recent examples include in the Southeast, and the in northern Nevada.
Another reason is 鈥渧oting has become really tied to identity,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here's this connection between certain positions, such as rejecting science on climate change, and your personal, deep identity. And once that connection is made, it's really hard to uncouple.鈥�
Hamilton said that鈥檚 especially true for people who are 30 and older, noting that survey data shows people are more willing to change their minds about issues in their 20s.
To that end, he added that younger generations are more likely to blame humans for climate change and be concerned about increasing climate disasters. In other words, in the future, the issue could have a bigger impact on elections across the Mountain West.
This story was produced by the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau is provided in part by the .