Once upon a time, nearly everyone was environmental. After the first glorious Earth Day fully 78% used the term to describe themselves. Incredibly in 1991 just as many Republicans identified as environmentalists as Democrats did. Now only 42% of all Americans would use the term.
The long term trend appears inescapable. The Republicans are about 20 years ahead.
…
It’s been a quarter century of Great Global Warming politicization. The trees, corals and cuddly polar bears have been worked on high rotation in the bun-fight for the tax-pie, profits, and dinner-party-status-points. Environmentalism came to mean something else.
In 1989 41% of Americans said they were a “strong environmentalist” and only 20% said they were “not an environmentalist”. In 2016, only 23% were “strong environmentalists” and an amazing 57% said “not an environmentalist”.
The decline has happened across all age groups.
Source Gallup Poll : Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted March 2-6, 2016, with a random sample of 1,019 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
h/t GWPF