Climate Change in the American Mind, September 2021

The September 2021 survey indicates that public understanding of global warming is at record highs in the U.S., with 76% of Americans believing it is happening and 60% attributing it to human causes. While 70% of respondents express worry and 69% feel a personal responsibility to help, there is a gap in understanding the strength of scientific consensus, with only 24% aware that over 90% of climate scientists agree on human-caused warming. The report also highlights a high perceived link between global warming and domestic weather impacts, including extreme heat and wildfires, though many Americans rarely discuss the topic with friends or family.

• Public belief that global warming is occurring has reached record levels, with 76% of Americans believing it is happening and 57% feeling 'very' or 'extremely' sure of this fact.
• While a majority of Americans (59%) recognize that most scientists believe global warming is happening, only 24% are aware of the high level of scientific consensus (over 90% of climate scientists).
• A significant portion of the U.S. population perceives direct personal or national harm from global warming, with 55% believing people in the U.S. are being harmed 'right now' and 52% reporting personal experience with its effects.
• Americans strongly associate global warming with various environmental hazards in the U.S., most notably extreme heat (77%) and wildfires (76%).
• Despite high levels of personal concern (70% worried) and a sense of personal responsibility (69%), global warming is not frequently discussed in social circles, with 61% of Americans saying they 'rarely' or 'never' discuss it with family and friends.
• Americans conceptualize global warming primarily as an environmental (79%) and scientific (74%) issue, though there has been a five-year increase in those viewing it as a moral or poverty issue.
• Efficacy beliefs are generally positive, with 67% disagreeing that it is too late to act, although the public is split (48% agree, 52% disagree) on whether new technologies can solve the problem without significant individual lifestyle changes.

APA

Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Rosenthal, S., Kotcher, J., Carman, J., Neyens, L., Marlon, J., Lacroix, K., & Goldberg, M. (2021). Climate Change in the American Mind, September 2021. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/climate-change-american-mind-september-2021/

Chicago

Leiserowitz, Anthony, Edward Maibach, Seth Rosenthal, John Kotcher, Jennifer Carman, Liz Neyens, Jennifer Marlon, Karine Lacroix, and Matthew Goldberg. Climate Change in the American Mind, September 2021. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2021. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/climate-change-american-mind-september-2021/.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{leiserowitz2021climate, author = {Leiserowitz, Anthony and Maibach, Edward and Rosenthal, Seth and Kotcher, John and Carman, Jennifer and Neyens, Liz and Marlon, Jennifer and Lacroix, Karine and Goldberg, Matthew}, title = {{Climate Change in the American Mind, September 2021}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/climate-change-american-mind-september-2021/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }