Right and left-wing views: A story of disagreement on environmental issues but agreement on solutions

Environmental issues are often presented as becoming increasingly polarized with the deepening of a political gap between left-wing (or liberal) and right-wing (or conservative) citizens. Going beyond the most investigated single issue of climate change, we look at prioritization of multiple environmental issues across the political spectrum. We additionally investigate which environmental modes of action individuals evaluate as most effective, depending on political orientation. We finally aim to identify psychological attributes that make environmental issues and actions more likely to be prioritized by both sides of the political spectrum. Among a representative U.K. sample (Study 1, N = 1,147) results highlight an important political divide on several issues, most notably climate change, but also agreement on other issues. Comparison between the issues most selected by the left and the right reveals differential prioritization associated with perceived psychological distance (Study 2, N = 207). Crucially, however, results show a broad consensus regarding modes of action. Across the political spectrum, respondents evaluate strong actions (i.e., compulsory, loss-framed, and challenging economic growth principles) as more effective, which might speak to the public’s newest and accelerating urgency of tackling environmental issues. There are important implications for policymakers: if the aim is to achieve cross-political commitment to policies and action on environmental issues, then persuasive discourse should focus on modes of action rather than the prioritization of particular issues. Given that the public recognizes the need for ambitious actions, policymakers could seize this opportunity to propose forward strong (and objectively effective) action.