Do parties respond to voters on environmental issues and are responses responsive?

Do parties respond to voters on environmental issues? Under what conditions, and are responses responsive? I explore these questions by examining parties’ positions on environmental issues and environmental policy outcomes alongside public opinion data. Through models examining 32 states between 1973 and 2019, I establish that parties respond with modest increases in environmental emphasis when issue salience rises among voters, however, this effect is conditional on positive economic growth. I also find that parties respond more strongly with economic globalisation. Whether responses are responsive though is questioned, as parties’ increased environmental issue prioritisation may not be accompanied by voters’ desired changes to their positions or actions. This is demonstrated through a case study of Australian parties’ responsiveness on climate action. Finally, by examining parties in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, I demonstrate that parties sometimes opt for responsibility over responsiveness.