Americans rated climate change as the least relevant issue in determining their vote in the midterm elections. In a recent survey by the Washington Post and ABC News, when asked about which issues were of greatest importance, only 50% of respondents marked climate change. The economy (84%) was far and away the most popular choice.
Between the economy and climate change, Americans ranked the education system (77%), inflation (76%), crime and delinquency (69%), abortion (62%) and the immigration crisis (61%) as their greatest concerns.
Among the 50% of Americans who did give importance to climate change, just 13% considered it as one of the most important issues to be addressed. Another 37% considered it "very" important.
On the other hand, 25% thought it was of little importance and 23% said it was the least important concern.
Americans rated the Democratic Party (54%) as better able to tackle climate change issues, compared to 31% who considered the Republican Party stronger in this regard. Seven percent responded that neither party has the right policies for the issue.