Climate change in the American mind: October, 2014

The October 2014 survey reveals that while 66% of Americans believe global warming is occurring, only 50% attribute it to human activities. Public concern remains relatively steady, with only 33% believing people in the U.S. are currently being harmed. Despite this, there is broad support for increased action from corporations (67%), citizens (63%), and various levels of government, as well as specific policies like infrastructure improvements (83%) and carbon dioxide emission limits on coal plants (67%).

• A majority of Americans believe global warming is occurring, with 66% agreeing (an increase of 3 percentage points since November 2013) and 16% believing it is not happening.
• Public perception of the causes of global warming diverges from scientific consensus; only 50% of Americans believe human activities are the primary cause, compared to approximately 97% of active climate scientists.
• Public worry about global warming has remained steady over four years, with 55% feeling at least "somewhat worried" and 11% feeling "very worried". Only 33% believe people in the U.S. are currently being harmed by global warming.
• Americans perceive a greater risk of harm from global warming to others than to themselves; 36% believe it will cause a "great deal" or "moderate amount" of harm to them personally, compared to 64% for plant or animal species and future generations.
• There is significant public demand for increased action from both the private and public sectors, including corporations and industry (67%), citizens (63%), the U.S. Congress (57%), and President Obama (51%).
• Americans support specific climate policies, including increased funding for weather-resistant infrastructure (83%) and strict carbon dioxide emission limits on existing coal-fired power plants (67%), even if electricity costs increase.

APA

Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., Feinberg, G., Rosenthal, S., & Marlon, J. (2014). Climate change in the American mind: October, 2014. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/the-climate-change-in-the-american-mind-series-fall-2014/

Chicago

Leiserowitz, A., E. Maibach, C. Roser-Renouf, G. Feinberg, S. Rosenthal, and Jennifer Marlon. Climate change in the American mind: October, 2014. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2014. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/the-climate-change-in-the-american-mind-series-fall-2014/.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{leiserowitz2014climate, author = {Leiserowitz, A. and Maibach, E. and Roser-Renouf, C. and Feinberg, G. and Rosenthal, S. and Marlon, Jennifer}, title = {{Climate change in the American mind: October, 2014}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2014}, month = oct, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/the-climate-change-in-the-american-mind-series-fall-2014/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }