New data from the Pew Research Center indicates that self-identified Democrats are more concerned about global climate change than the threat posed by ISIS, the brutal terrorist army that has swept through much of Iraq and Syria in recent months. While 68 percent of Democrats say they view climate change as a "major threat" to the United States, 65 percent feel the same way about ISIS.
For Republicans, the numbers are switched and the gap vastly larger: 78 percent are worried about ISIS, and only a quarter are bothered by the prospect of global climate change.
The same poll found an across-the-board preference for ranking hazards ranging from infectious disease to North Korean nuclear capabilities as "major threats" rather than "minor threats." This was coupled with a rising cross-partisan desire to see the U.S. more involved internationally, suggesting that a climate of fear may be increasing desire for an interventionist foreign policy.
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