People who don't believe climate change is real are more likely to hold racist beliefs, study finds
After became President in 2008, white Americans became less likely to see as a serious problem, according to a new study. A study published recently in the journal Environmental Politics found that people who don't believe in climate change are more likely to be of older age, white and Republican. They are also far more likely to hold racist beliefs and have high levels of racial resentment. Many liberals and Democrats criticized the former President for his relatively moderate stance on climate change. However, the paper notes that the first African-American President mentioning it in his State of the Union address and joining the Paris climate accord caused a significant backlash among white Americans who began disbelieving in climate change. 'There has been increasing polarization on this issue and this is one thing my own research has been examining for a while trying to figure out what are some of the root causes of this polarization,' said study author Salil Benegal to . A similar correlation was also noted in healthcare reform. After the Obama administration made it a priority, a large number of white Americans who gave the issue support during the Clinton administration switched their viewpoints. 'Results show that racial identification became a significant predictor of climate change concern following Obamas election in 2008, and that high levels of racial resentment are strongly correlated with reduced agreement with the scientific consensus on climate change,' the study abstract reads. 'These results offer evidence for an effect termed the spillover of racialization,' it continues. The study examined public opinion data from Pew and data American National Election Studies surveys. ANES surveys gave four statements regarding racial resentment and asked participants to rate how much they agree with each, according to These included statements such as: The study found that the percentage of white Americans who believe that climate change is a serious problem decreased under Obama. It also found that white Republicans who scored at the highest level for racial resentment were over three times likely to disagree with the statement that climate change was real than white Republicans at the lowest end.