Climate change denial, political beliefs, and cities: evidence from Copenhagen and Houston

Abstract

Using data from surveys of Copenhagen and Houston, this article examines climate change denial in two cities with dramatically different environmental traditions. Previous research on climate change beliefs conceptualizes political views along a spectrum, from right-wing party members to moderates to left-wing party members or along a left-right ideological scale. Findings indicate that conventional assumptions about political identification and climate change beliefs vary in the two cities. In Copenhagen, respondents in right-wing parties have higher rates of climate change denial compared to the politically unaffiliated, but those on the left do not have lower rates. While left-leaning respondents in Houston have lower odds of climate change denial than moderates, right-leaning respondents do not have higher rates of denial. These results suggest that individual-level political beliefs do not always have a continuous effect on climate change attitudes. The findings in these two divergent cities – one a green capital, the other an oil and gas hub – suggest the need for greater interest in examining climate change beliefs in cities.