MAINE MONITOR • April 2, 2023
Multiple studies have shown that Americans tend to misjudge how others in this country feel about climate change. People chronically underestimate how worried others are about the threat, how much they accept the science, and whether they support all manner of policy solutions. According to a 2022 paper on “pluralistic ignorance,” Maine counties vary in their level of basic acceptance that global warming is happening — Cumberland and Knox top the list at around 75%, while Piscataquis County ranks lowest at 65%. People in coastal Maine counties are generally more worried about global warming, not just in the left-leaning First Congressional District but Down East as well.