global warming’s six americas 2009

The report identifies six distinct audience segments within the U.S. adult population—the Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive—that vary significantly in their level of concern, belief in the reality of climate change, and willingness to take action. While the Alarmed and Concerned are convinced of the threat and support aggressive national policies, the Doubtful and Dismissive either deny the phenomenon or believe it is caused by natural changes. The analysis highlights that communication strategies must be tailored to these specific psychological and political profiles to effectively motivate climate action.

• The American public is divided into six distinct audience segments based on their response to global warming: the Alarmed (18%), the Concerned (33%), the Cautious (19%), the Disengaged (12%), the Doubtful (11%), and the Dismissive (7%).
• The Alarmed segment is the most engaged and worried, viewing global warming as an urgent threat to themselves and future generations, and they strongly support aggressive national policies.
• The Concerned segment believes global warming is a serious problem and supports a vigorous national response, but they are less personally involved and less likely to take individual action than the Alarmed.
• The Cautious segment has weak beliefs about the reality of global warming and does not perceive it as a personal threat, though they believe it will impact future generations.
• The Disengaged segment is characterized by a lack of knowledge and opinion, with a high proportion of members stating they do not know if global warming is occurring.
• The Doubtful segment is split on whether global warming is happening and frequently attributes the phenomenon to natural environmental changes rather than human activity.
• The Dismissive segment is certain that global warming is not occurring and actively opposes national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• There is broad cross-segment support for funding renewable energy research and providing tax rebates for solar panels and fuel-efficient vehicles, while support for cap-and-trade systems is weak across all groups.
• Consumer activism is a more common way for concerned Americans to express their views than political activism; 58% of Americans intend to engage in consumer activism in the coming year.
• The Alarmed and Dismissive segments are the most likely to discuss global warming and provide information to others, despite their opposing views.
• Demographic and value-based correlations exist: more concerned segments tend to be politically liberal with egalitarian values, while less concerned segments are more likely to be conservative, evangelical, and hold individualistic values.
• Trust in information sources varies by segment: the Alarmed and Concerned trust scientists most, while the Doubtful and Dismissive trust family and friends more and strongly distrust mainstream news and environmental groups.

APA

Center for Climate Change Communication (2009). global warming’s six americas 2009. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2009-Global-Warmings-Six-Americas.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Change Communication. global warming’s six americas 2009. 2009. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2009-Global-Warmings-Six-Americas.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Change Communication |title=global warming’s six americas 2009 |date=2009 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2009-Global-Warmings-Six-Americas.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimatechangecommunication2009global, author = {{Center for Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{global warming’s six americas 2009}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2009}, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2009-Global-Warmings-Six-Americas.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }