Can large language models estimate public opinion about global warming? An empirical assessment of algorithmic fidelity and bias

Large language models (LLMs) can be used to estimate human attitudes and behavior, including measures of public opinion, a concept referred to as algorithmic fidelity. This study assesses the algorithmic fidelity and bias of LLMs in estimating public opinion about global warming. LLMs were conditioned on demographics and/or psychological covariates to simulate survey responses. Findings indicate that LLMs can effectively reproduce presidential voting behaviors but not global warming opinions unless the issue relevant covariates are included. When conditioned on both demographic and covariates, GPT-4 demonstrates improved accuracy, ranging from 53% to 91%, in predicting beliefs and attitudes about global warming. Additionally, we find an algorithmic bias that underestimates the global warming opinions of Black Americans. While highlighting the potential of LLMs to aid social science research, these results underscore the importance of conditioning, model selection, survey question format, and bias assessment when employing LLMs for survey simulation.