More than 60 percent of Americans think climate change is a problem that the government should address, including 80 percent of Democrats and 43 percent of Republicans, according to a new survey from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, or EPIC, and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Those numbers were even higher when limited to those who say they believe in climate change. Seven in 10 Republicans and nearly all Democrats who believe climate change is happening agree that the government needs to take action, the poll found.

“Public opinion around many energy issues tends to be fluid, with people often defaulting to partisan starting points,” said Trevor Tompson, director of The AP-NORC Center, in a statement. “Majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agree that climate change is happening, and there are signs that consensus could happen on other issues, too.”

“There were definitely some surprising results,” said EPIC Executive Director Sam Ori…

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Areas of Focus: Climate Change
Definition
Climate Change
Climate change is an urgent global challenge. EPIC research is helping to assess its impacts, quantify its costs, and identify an efficient set of policies to reduce emissions and adapt...
Climate Law & Policy
Definition
Climate Law & Policy
As countries around the world implement policies to confront climate change, EPIC research is calculating which policies will have the most impact for the least cost.