Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Spring 2025

A May 2025 survey of 1,040 American adults reveals that 69% believe global warming is happening and 60% attribute it to human causes. While 65% of respondents are at least 'somewhat worried' and many perceive risks to their local communities from extreme weather, 65% rarely or never discuss the issue with family and friends. The report also highlights a sense of personal agency, with 60% disagreeing that it is too late to act and 53% disagreeing that technology alone can solve the problem without individual life changes.

• A majority of Americans recognize global warming as a human-caused phenomenon and acknowledge scientific consensus. Specifically, 60% believe it is mostly human-caused, while 58% understand that most scientists believe it is happening.
• Americans report significant emotional distress and personal concern regarding global warming, with 65% stating they are at least "somewhat worried" and 29% being "very worried."
• There is a strong perception that global warming is already impacting the United States. 64% of Americans believe it is affecting U.S. weather, and 46% report they have personally experienced its effects.
• Americans perceive high risks from various extreme weather events in the U.S., with the highest concerns relating to extreme heat (75%), wildfires (72%), droughts (72%), and flooding (71%). Additionally, 58% believe extreme weather poses a high or moderate risk to their own community over the next decade.
• Despite personal concern, social discussion of global warming remains low; 65% of Americans rarely or never discuss the topic with friends and family, and only 37% hear about it in the media at least once a month.
• A majority of Americans maintain a sense of personal agency and responsibility. 60% disagree that it is too late to act, 55% disagree that individual actions make no difference, and 61% feel a personal responsibility to help reduce global warming.
• Most Americans do not believe technology is a substitute for individual behavioral changes, with 53% disagreeing that new technologies can solve global warming without people making big changes in their lives.

APA

A., L., E., M., S., R., J., K., E., G., J., C., M., V., T., M., J., E., J., F., E., R., M., G., & J., M. (2025). Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Spring 2025. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/climate-change-in-the-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-spring-2025/

Chicago

A., Leiserowitz,, Maibach, E., Rosenthal, S., Kotcher, J., Goddard, E., Carman, J., Verner, M., et al. Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Spring 2025. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2025. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/climate-change-in-the-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-spring-2025/.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{a2025climate, author = {A., Leiserowitz, and E., Maibach, and S., Rosenthal, and J., Kotcher, and E., Goddard, and J., Carman, and M., Verner, and T., Myers, and J., Ettinger, and J., Fine, and E., Richards, and M., Goldberg, and J., Marlon,}, title = {{Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics \& Policy, Spring 2025}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/climate-change-in-the-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-spring-2025/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }