Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes, Spring 2026

The report finds that a majority of Americans believe global warming is happening and is mostly human-caused, with 66% expressing worry about the issue. While there is high interest in news stories about climate impacts and government action, the frequency of hearing about global warming in the media and social circles has trended downward since 2021-2022. Many Americans perceive personal or local risks from extreme weather and health impacts, and 13% have considered relocating to avoid these effects.

• A majority of Americans believe global warming is occurring and is primarily caused by human activity, with 59% attributing it to humans compared to 27% who believe it is caused by natural changes. Additionally, 54% correctly identify that most scientists believe global warming is happening, while 25% erroneously believe there is significant scientific disagreement.
• Public concern is high, with 66% of Americans reporting they are at least "somewhat worried" about global warming, including 29% who are "very worried." Personally, 65% of respondents consider the issue to be "extremely," "very," or "somewhat" important.
• Americans perceive significant risks to themselves and others; 47% believe people in the U.S. are being harmed "right now," and 46% report personally experiencing the effects of global warming. Majorities believe it will harm plant and animal species (68%), future generations (68%), and the world's poor (64%).
• There is widespread concern regarding local impacts from extreme weather and related hazards. The highest levels of worry are associated with water pollution (79%), mosquito and tick-borne diseases (79%), electricity power outages (78%), air pollution (77%), and extreme heat (77%).
• Exposure to climate information is declining; only 39% of Americans hear about global warming in the media at least once a month, and only 17% hear people they know discuss it at that frequency. These figures represent a downward trend from peaks in 2021 and 2022.
• Despite lower media exposure, there is strong interest in specific climate-related news, particularly how global warming affects the cost of living (76%) and U.S. government responses (75%).
• Regarding personal agency and technology, 52% of Americans disagree that new technologies can solve global warming without individuals making significant life changes.
• Climate change is increasingly viewed as a driver for migration, with 13% of Americans having considered moving to avoid its impacts, such as rising sea levels, wildfires, and extreme heat.

APA

A., L., J., K., S., R., E., G., J., C., M., V., T., M., J., E., J., F., E., R., M., G., J., M., & E., M. (2026). Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes, Spring 2026. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/climate-change-in-the-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-spring-2026/

Chicago

A., Leiserowitz,, Kotcher, J., Rosenthal, S., Goddard, E., Carman, J., Verner, M., Myers, T., et al. Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes, Spring 2026. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2026. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/climate-change-in-the-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-spring-2026/.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{a2026climate, author = {A., Leiserowitz, and J., Kotcher, and S., Rosenthal, 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, and E., Maibach,}, title = {{Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs \& Attitudes, Spring 2026}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2026}, month = jul, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/climate-change-in-the-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-spring-2026/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }