Understanding the Health Harms of Climate Change: A Six Americas Analysis

Between 2014 and 2020, there was a significant increase in the proportion of U.S. adults who recognize the health harms caused by climate change. This trend was observed across most of the 'Six Americas' audience segments, including those with low engagement like the Cautious and Disengaged, while the Doubtful and Dismissive segments showed little to no change in risk perception.

• The proportion of the U.S. population identifying as 'Alarmed' about climate change more than doubled between 2014 and 2020, with over half of American adults falling into the Alarmed (26%) or Concerned (28%) segments by April 2020.
• Public recognition of health harms from climate change increased significantly between 2014 and 2020; for instance, the percentage of Americans expecting increased bodily harm from severe storms and hurricanes rose from 34% to 57%.
• Perceptions of harm from wildfires more than doubled for the general population, increasing from 26% in 2014 to 54% in 2020.
• Increased awareness of health risks was observed in the Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, and Disengaged segments, while the Doubtful and Dismissive segments showed little or no change in their risk perceptions.
• Similar patterns of increased risk perception were found regarding diseases carried by insects and asthma or other lung diseases.

APA

Roser-Renouf, C., Maibach, E., Leiserowitz, A., Rosenthal, S., & Kotcher, J. (2021). Understanding the Health Harms of Climate Change: A Six Americas Analysis. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/understanding-the-health-harms-of-climate-change-a-six-americas-analysis/

Chicago

Roser-Renouf, Connie, Edward Maibach, Anthony Leiserowitz, Seth Rosenthal, and John Kotcher. Understanding the Health Harms of Climate Change: A Six Americas Analysis. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2021. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/understanding-the-health-harms-of-climate-change-a-six-americas-analysis/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Roser-Renouf |first1=Connie |last2=Maibach |first2=Edward |last3=Leiserowitz |first3=Anthony |last4=Rosenthal |first4=Seth |last5=Kotcher |first5=John |title=Understanding the Health Harms of Climate Change: A Six Americas Analysis |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=30 March 2021 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/understanding-the-health-harms-of-climate-change-a-six-americas-analysis/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{roserrenouf2021understanding, author = {Roser-Renouf, Connie and Maibach, Edward and Leiserowitz, Anthony and Rosenthal, Seth and Kotcher, John}, title = {{Understanding the Health Harms of Climate Change: A Six Americas Analysis}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/understanding-the-health-harms-of-climate-change-a-six-americas-analysis/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }