Top News Sources for Global Warming’s Six Americas, 2021 to 2025

Between March 2021 and May 2025, Americans increasingly shifted their primary news consumption from traditional TV toward online sources, particularly social media. This trend was most pronounced among the 'Concerned' and 'Alarmed' segments of the Six Americas framework. The report highlights the risk of climate misinformation on social media, noting a shift from denying climate change to denying the effectiveness of climate solutions.

• As of May 2025, social media is the most important news source for Americans, used by 19% of the population, representing a 7 percentage point increase since March 2021. Conversely, local TV news saw a 4 point decrease, with 18% of Americans identifying it as their top source in 2025.
• The 'Concerned' segment experienced the most significant shift in news consumption between 2021 and 2025: social media use as a primary source rose from 11% to 21%, while reliance on local TV news dropped from 26% to 16%.
• In May 2025, the primary news sources for other Six Americas segments were: news websites or apps for the Alarmed (23%), local TV news for the Cautious (24%), and social media for both the Doubtful (22%) and the Dismissive (23%).
• The shift toward social media increases vulnerability to climate misinformation, which is evolving from outright denial of climate change to challenging the effectiveness of climate solutions—a tactic specifically targeting the 'Alarmed' and 'Concerned' groups.

APA

Team, M. 4. (2025). Top News Sources for Global Warming’s Six Americas, 2021 to 2025. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/top-news-sources-for-global-warmings-six-americas-2021-to-2025/

Chicago

Team, Mason 4C. Top News Sources for Global Warming’s Six Americas, 2021 to 2025. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2025. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/top-news-sources-for-global-warmings-six-americas-2021-to-2025/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Team |first1=Mason 4C |title=Top News Sources for Global Warming’s Six Americas, 2021 to 2025 |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=9 September 2025 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/top-news-sources-for-global-warmings-six-americas-2021-to-2025/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{team2025top, author = {Team, Mason 4C}, title = {{Top News Sources for Global Warming’s Six Americas, 2021 to 2025}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2025}, month = sep, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/top-news-sources-for-global-warmings-six-americas-2021-to-2025/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }