This interactive map shows partisan climate opinion data generated with statistical models based on survey results and mapped to different United States geographical areas.
Students can see how opinions about climate change vary by geography and political affiliation.
It includes a description of the data, methodology, and survey questions used.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This resource shows the similarities and differences in beliefs about global warming.
The single maps provide additional options to research.
Prerequisites
Students should understand the difference between states and congressional districts and have a basic understanding of global warming.
If looking at the specific policies, the teacher should preview the terms pollutants, renewable energy, and utilities.
Differentiation
Science and history classes can discuss the process of science and compare the denial of global warming and climate change to the denial of the Earth being round or other scientific discoveries or ideas that challenged the status quo.
English language arts classes could write a position paper about why opinions about verifiable observations and data are not relevant (such as believing that gravity is just a theory).
Students can be grouped and asked to discuss these questions and then share with the class:
What surprised you about this data?
What didn't surprise you?
Environmental protection was a bipartisan issue in the past. Why do you think it has become partisan?
Scientist Notes
This map visualizes data on the political parties who have keen interest in mitigating climate change impact by funding research on renewable energy in the USA. The datasets estimate variability of Republicans and Democrats' climate change beliefs, risk perception, and policy preferences at the state and congressional district level. It was modeled with a multilevel regression. The methods used here are statistically fit but will also recommend IDW Geospatial modeling with GIS tool to visualize spatial spread and buffer zones. However, this resource is recommended for students in this grade level.
Standards
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Reading: Informational Text (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Geography
D2.Geo.2.9-12 Use maps, satellite images, photographs, and other representations to explain relationships between the locations of places and regions and their political, cultural, and economic dynamics.
D2.Geo.3.9-12 Use geographic data to analyze variations in the spatial patterns of cultural and environmental characteristics at multiple scales.
