Segmenting the climate change Alarmed: Active, Willing, and Inactive

The research identifies three subgroups within the 'Alarmed' segment of the U.S. population: the Active, Willing, and Inactive. While the Active Alarmed exhibit high levels of activism and political efficacy, the Willing Alarmed show a predisposition toward action but rarely engage, and the Inactive Alarmed remain uncertain or unconfident in their ability to effect change. The study suggests that tailored communication strategies and the removal of structural barriers are necessary to convert climate concern into political and social action.

• The 'Alarmed' segment of the U.S. population is divided into three distinct subgroups based on climate-related behavior: the Active (34% of Alarmed), the Willing (46%), and the Inactive (20%). In terms of the total U.S. population, these represent 8%, 11%, and 5% respectively.
• The Active Alarmed are the most likely to participate in campaigns to influence elected officials (17%) and are highly likely to discuss global warming with friends and family (94%). They also report the highest levels of collective political efficacy and strong emotional responses such as anger, disgust, or outrage.
• The Willing Alarmed express a high potential for activism, with a majority saying they 'definitely' (13%) or 'probably' (55%) would participate in campaigns to convince officials to act, despite currently doing so rarely.
• The Inactive Alarmed are characterized by uncertainty regarding climate activism and a lack of confidence in their ability to influence government action. Demographically, this group is more likely to be female, have a household income under $25,000, and not affiliate with a political party.

APA

Goldberg, M., Wang, X., Marlon, J., Carman, J., Lacroix, K., Kotcher, J., Rosenthal, S., Maibach, E., & Leiserowitz, A. (2021). Segmenting the climate change Alarmed: Active, Willing, and Inactive. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/segmenting-climate-change-alarmed/

Chicago

Goldberg, M., X. Wang, J. Marlon, J. Carman, K. Lacroix, J. Kotcher, S. Rosenthal, E. Maibach, and A. Leiserowitz. Segmenting the climate change Alarmed: Active, Willing, and Inactive. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2021. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/segmenting-climate-change-alarmed/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Goldberg |first1=M. |last2=Wang |first2=X. |last3=Marlon |first3=J. |last4=Carman |first4=J. |last5=Lacroix |first5=K. |last6=Kotcher |first6=J. |last7=Rosenthal |first7=S. |last8=Maibach |first8=E. |last9=Leiserowitz |first9=A. |title=Segmenting the climate change Alarmed: Active, Willing, and Inactive |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=26 July 2021 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/segmenting-climate-change-alarmed/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{goldberg2021segmenting, author = {Goldberg, M. and Wang, X. and Marlon, J. and Carman, J. and Lacroix, K. and Kotcher, J. and Rosenthal, S. and Maibach, E. and Leiserowitz, A.}, title = {{Segmenting the climate change Alarmed: Active, Willing, and Inactive}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/segmenting-climate-change-alarmed/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }