The authors examine U.S. public attitudes regarding global climate change, addressing the puzzle of why support for governmental action on this front is tepid relative to what existing theories predict. Introducing the theoretical concept of relative sociotropic time horizons, the authors show that believers in Christian end-times theology are less likely to support policies designed to curb global warming than are other Americans. They then provide robustness checks by analyzing other policy attitudes. In so doing, the authors provide empirical evidence to suggest that citizens possessing shorter “shadows of the future” often resist policies trading short-term costs for hypothetical long-term benefits.

References

Ansolabehere, Stephen. 2006 . “ Cooperative Congressional Election Study, 2006: Common Content .” Computer file, release 2 , November 14 , 2007 . Cambridge, MA : MIT .

Google Scholar

Axelrod, Robert . 1984 . The Evolution of Cooperation. New York : Basic Books .

Google Scholar

Black, Duncan . 1958 . The Theory of Committees and Elections. Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press .

Google Scholar

Berry, William, Buck, Peter, Mills, Mike, Stipe, Michael (aka REM). 1987 . “ It’s the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine) .” Document. Capitol Records.

Google Scholar

Campbell, Angus, Converse, Philip E., Miller, Warren E., Stokes, Donald E. 1960 . The American Voter. New York : John Wiley .

Google Scholar

Congleton, Roger D. 1992 . “ Political Institutions and Pollution Control .” Review of Economics and Statistics 74: 412 - 21 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Delli Carpini, Michael , with Scott Keeter J. David Kennamer. 1994 . “ The Effects of the News Media Environment on Citizen Knowledge of State Politics and Government .” Journalism Quarterly 71: 443 - 56 .

Google Scholar SAGE Journals

Djupe, Paul A., Gilbert, Christopher. 2008 . The Political Influence of Churches. Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press .

Google Scholar Crossref

Djupe, Paul A., Gwiasda, Gregory W. 2010 . “ Evangelizing the Environment: Decision Process Effects in Political Persuasion .” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 49: 73 - 86 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Djupe, Paul A., Hunt, Patrick Kiernan. 2009 . “ Beyond the Lynn White Thesis: Congregational Effects on Environmental Concern .” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 48: 670 - 86 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Downs, Anthony . 1957 . An Economic Theory of Democracy. New York : Harper .

Google Scholar

Eckberg, Douglas Lee, Blocker, T. Jean. 1989 . “ Varieties of Religious Involvement and Environmental Concerns: Testing the Lynn White Thesis .” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 28: 509 - 17 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Gabriel, Julia . 2010 . “ Mainstream Media an Enemy of Christian America .” Television broadcast, Christian Broadcasting Network, August 15 .

Google Scholar

Goodstein, Laurie . 2005 . “ Evangelical Leaders Swing Influence Behind Effort to Combat Global Warming .” New York Times, March 10 .

Google Scholar

Greeley, Andrew . 1991 . “ American Exceptionalism: The Religious Phenomenon .” In Is America Different? A New Look at the American Exceptionalism, edited by Shafer, Byron E. , 94 - 115 . Oxford, UK : Clarendon .

Google Scholar

Guth, James L., Green, John Clifford, Kellstedt, Lyman A., Smidt, Corwin E. 1995 . “ Faith and the Environment: Religious Beliefs and Attitudes on Environmental Policy .” American Journal of Political Science 39: 364 - 82 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Hand, Carl M., van Liere, Kent D. 1984 . “ Religion, Mastery-over-Nature, and Environmental Concern .” Social Forces 63: 555 - 70 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Hofstetter, C. Richard, Barker, David, Smith, James T., Zari, Gina M., Ingrassia, Thomas A. 1999 . “ Information, Misinformation, and Political Talk Radio .” Political Research Quarterly 52: 353 - 69 .

Google Scholar SAGE Journals | ISI

Holbrook, Thomas M., McClurg, Scott D. 2005 . “ The Mobilization of Core Supporters: Campaigns, Turnout, and Electoral Composition in United States Presidential Elections .” American Journal of Political Science 49: 689 - 703 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Inglehart, Ronald . 1977 . The Silent Revolution: Changing Values and Political Styles among Western Publics. Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press .

Google Scholar

Jamieson, Dale . 2006 . “ An American Paradox .” Climatic Change 77: 97 - 102 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Kanagy, Conrad L., Willits, Fern K. 1993 . “ A ‘Greening’ of Religion? Some Evidence from a Pennsylvania Sample .” Social Science Quarterly 74: 674 - 83 .

Google Scholar ISI

Kinder, Donald R., Kiewiet, Roderick D. 1981 . “ Sociotropic Politics: The American Case .” British Journal of Political Science 11: 129 - 61 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Kohut, Andrew, Keeter, Scott, Doherty, Carroll, Dimock, Michael, Remez, Michael, Suls, Robert, Neidorf, Shawn, Christian, Leah, Kiley, Jocelyn, Tyson, Alec, Pushter, Jacob. 2010 . “ Life in 2050: Amazing Science, Familiar Threats: Public Sees a Future Full of Promise and Peril .” News release, Pew Center for the People and the Press , June 22 .

Google Scholar

Krosnick, Jon A., Holbrook, Allyson L., Lowe, Laura, Visser, Penny. 2006 . “ The Origins and Consequences of Democratic Citizens’ Policy Agendas: A Study of Popular Concerns about Global Warming .” Climatic Change 77: 7 - 43 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Kuklinski, James H., Quirk, Paul J., Jerit, Jennifer, Schwieder, David, Rich, Robert F. 2000 . “ Misinformation and the Currency of Democratic Citizenship .” Journal of Politics 62: 790 - 816 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Layman, Geoffrey . 2001 . The Great Divide: Religious and Cultural Conflict in American Party Politics. New York : Columbia University Press .

Google Scholar

Leege, David C., Wald, Kenneth D., Krueger, Brian S., Mueller, Paul D. 2002 . The Politics of Cultural Differences. Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press .

Google Scholar

Loewenstein, George, Read, Daniel, Baumeister, Roy, eds. 2003 . Time and Decision: Economic and Psychological Perspectives on Intertemporal Choice. New York : Russell Sage .

Google Scholar

Long, J. Scott, Freese, Jeremy. 2006 . Regression Models for Categorical Dependent Variables Using Stata. College Station, TX : Stata Press .

Google Scholar

Martin, William . 1997 . With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America. New York : Broadway .

Google Scholar

Neumayer, Eric . 2002 . “ Do Democracies Exhibit Stronger International Environmental Commitment? A Cross- Country Analysis .” Journal of Peace Research 39: 139 - 64 .

Google Scholar SAGE Journals | ISI

Nisbet, Matthew C., Myers, Teresa. 2007 . “ Twenty Years of Public Opinion about Global Warming .” Public Opinion Quarterly 71: 444 - 70 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Sears, David O., Funk, Carolyn L. 1990 . “ The Limited Effect of Economic Self Interest on the Political Attitudes of the Mass Public .” Journal of Behavioral Economics 19: 247 - 71 .

Google Scholar Crossref

Schaeffer, Francis A., Middelmann, Udo W. 1992 . Pollution and the Death of Man. Wheaton, IL : Crossway Books .

Google Scholar

Scherer, Glenn . 2004 . “ The Godly Must Be Crazy .” Grist: Environmental News & Commentary, October 27 . http://www.grist.org/article/scherer-christian/.

Google Scholar

Shaiko, Ronald G. 1987 . “ Religion, Politics, and Environmental Concern: A Powerful Mix of Passions .” Social Science Quarterly 68: 244 - 62 .

Google Scholar ISI

Sherkat, Darren E., Ellison, Christopher G. 2007 . “ Structuring the Religion-Environment Connection: Identifying Religious Influences on Environmental Concern and Activism .” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 46: 87 - 100 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Slemrod, Joel . 1986 . “ Saving and the Fear of Nuclear War .” Journal of Conflict Resolution 30: 403 - 19 .

Google Scholar SAGE Journals | ISI

Sprinz, Detlef, Vaahtoranta, Tapani. 1994 . “ The Interest-Based Explanation of International Environmental Policy .” International Organization 48: 77 - 105 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Stimson, James A., Erikson, Robert S., MacKuen, Michael B. 1995 . “ Dynamic Representation .” American Political Science Review 89: 543 - 65 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

Van Biema, David . 2008 . “ The Global Ambition of Rick Warren .” Time, August 7 .

Google Scholar Medline

Wald, Kenneth D., Owen, Dennis E., Hill, Samuel S. 1988 . “ Churches as Political Communities .” American Political Science Review 82: 531 - 48 .

Google Scholar Crossref | ISI

White, Lynn 1967 . “ The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis .” Science 155: 1203 - 7 .

Google Scholar Crossref | Medline | ISI

Williams, Peter W. 2008 . America’s Religions: From Their Origins to the 21st Century. Urbana-Champaign : University of Illinois Press .

Google Scholar