How does Social Trust Shape the Politicization of America's Climate Change Perception?-A Study of Two National Surveys in 2022 and 2023

Climate change has exerted tremendous disruptive impacts on the planet and human society. The United States is a major contributor to this crisis and has witnessed extreme weather events more frequently in recent years. To address this issue, it is critical to understand how Americans understand climate change. Our study uses data from two national surveys administered in 2022 and 2023 to investigate this topic. Descriptive statistics reveal that most Americans are concerned about the risk, recognize the ramifications of extreme weather events, agree that transforming to renewables is a practical solution, and support the Inflation Reduction Act to tackle the climate crisis. Structural equation modeling results show social trust and political ideology shape climate change perception. Social trust also mediates the impact of political ideology, with respondents who lean liberal becoming even more likely to perceive the threat of climate change and concur with climate policies if they have stronger social trust. The findings contribute to the literature and carry significant policy implications. Studying social trust's direct and mediating effects by examining an American sample complements most current scholarship using cross-national data and only probing the direct linkage. Meanwhile, it is critical to leverage social trust's influence to bridge the political gap and promote public response to climate change.