Americans with disabilities are more likely than those without disabilities to say global warming is harming their health

The report finds that 23% of Americans with disabilities believe global warming is harming their health, a higher proportion than the 14% of Americans without disabilities who feel the same. Despite this, the study suggests many people with disabilities may underestimate their risks. Additionally, Americans with disabilities report lower levels of trust in federal agencies and climate scientists as sources of health information compared to those without disabilities, while both groups maintain similar trust in primary care doctors and first responders.

• Americans with disabilities are more likely to report that global warming is negatively impacting their own health than those without disabilities, although the overall percentage suggests a potential underestimation of risk.
• There is no significant difference between Americans with and without disabilities in their recognition that certain groups of people are more susceptible to the health harms of global warming.
• Americans with disabilities exhibit lower levels of trust in specific scientific and governmental organizations and experts regarding health information about global warming.
• Both Americans with and without disabilities share similar levels of trust in local and professional health sources, including primary care doctors and first responders.
• The report argues that federal funding cuts to agencies such as NOAA, FEMA, HHS, and the CDC increase the risk for people with disabilities by reducing educational efforts on climate-related health harms.

APA

Ettinger, J., Fine, J., Yue, Y., Gour, N., Campbell, E., Myers, T., Kotcher, J., Carman, J., Rosenthal, S., Alexander, M., Leiserowitz, A., & Maibach, E. (2026). Americans with disabilities are more likely than those without disabilities to say global warming is harming their health. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/americans-with-disabilities-are-more-likely-than-those-without-disabilities-to-say-global-warming-is-harming-their-health/

Chicago

Ettinger, J., J. Fine, Y. Yue, N. Gour, E. Campbell, T. Myers, J. Kotcher, et al. Americans with disabilities are more likely than those without disabilities to say global warming is harming their health. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2026. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/americans-with-disabilities-are-more-likely-than-those-without-disabilities-to-say-global-warming-is-harming-their-health/.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{ettinger2026americans, author = {Ettinger, J. and Fine, J. and Yue, Y. and Gour, N. and Campbell, E. and Myers, T. and Kotcher, J. and Carman, J. and Rosenthal, S. and Alexander, M. and Leiserowitz, A. and Maibach, E.}, title = {{Americans with disabilities are more likely than those without disabilities to say global warming is harming their health}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2026}, month = jul, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/americans-with-disabilities-are-more-likely-than-those-without-disabilities-to-say-global-warming-is-harming-their-health/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }