Zinger Key Points
- A new Emerson College poll finds that the approval of Governor Gavin Newsom's handling of the California wildfires is mixed.
- The poll also asks Americans if they believe climate change played a role in the wildfires.
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The Los Angeles wildfires have killed at least two dozen people and destroyed thousands of homes, prompting questions of what’s to blame for the blazes.
A new Emerson College poll asks Americans if climate change contributed to the wildfires and whether California Gov. Gavin Newsom has done a good job handling the disaster.
What Happened: A new Emerson College poll, conducted Jan. 10 through Jan. 11, shows Americans are paying close attention to the wildfires.
When respondents were asked how closely they are following the California wildfires news, these were the results:
- Very Closely: 47.4%
- Somewhat Closely: 39.5%
- Not Very Closely: 9.7%
- Not At All: 3.4%
The poll found that nearly half of Americans who responded are following the wildfire news closely, with around 87% saying they were either very closely or somewhat closely following the news.
Another question was around the potential causes of the fires.
"Do you think climate change has contributed to California's recent wildfires?” the poll asked. The results were divided by age, shown below:
- Age 18-29: 74% Yes, 26% No
- Age 30-39: 70% Yes, 31% No
- Age 40-49: 61% Yes, 39% No
- Age 50-59: 48% Yes, 52% No
- Age 60-69: 49% Yes, 51% No
- Age 70+: 53% Yes, 47% No
The poll found that in most cases the older a person was, the more likely they were to believe that climate change did not play a role in the fires.
Overall, 58% of Americans in the poll said that climate change has contributed to the wildfires and 42% said it has not.
The poll also showed a partisan split, with 85% of Democrats saying climate change contributed to the fires and 64% of Republicans saying climate change was not a factor. Independent voters were mostly split, with 54% saying climate change contributed to the wildfires.
Women were more likely to believe climate change was a contributing factor, with 64% saying yes versus 52% of men saying yes.
Newsom's Handling Of Disaster: The handling of the wildfires in California and the state's preparedness for such disasters has been a major talking point and drawn increased attention from President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
The poll asked Americans what they thought of Newsom's handling of the wildfires. These were the results:
- Approve: 29.4%
- Disapprove: 40.6%
- Neutral: 26.7%
"The Governor's approval highlights sharp partisan divides in the perception of response: 61% of Republicans and 43% of Independents disapprove of Governor Newsom's response to the wildfires while 49% of Democrats approve," Emerson College Poll Executive Director Spencer Kimball said.
Newsom, a Democrat, was considered a potential replacement candidate in the 2024 election when President Joe Biden dropped out and is among the frontrunners in the betting odds for the 2028 presidential election.
How Newsom handles the wildfires and his approval from Americans could be an early indicator of how he may fare in a presidential election if he chooses to run.
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