Extreme Weather and Climate Change in the American Mind

The April 2013 report 'Extreme Weather and Climate Change in the American Mind' reveals that 58% of Americans believe global warming is affecting U.S. weather. A significant majority (85%) reported experiencing extreme weather in the past year, with 37% stating they suffered moderate or great harm. While over half of Americans believe a natural disaster in their community is likely in the coming year, only 31% have a family emergency plan and 36% have a supply kit. Communication about these events remains primarily face-to-face or via phone, despite some use of social media.

• A majority of Americans perceive a connection between global warming and domestic weather patterns, with 58% stating that "global warming is affecting weather in the United States."
• Americans frequently attribute the increased severity of specific recent weather events to global warming, including 2012 as the warmest year on record (50%), the Midwest and Great Plains drought (49%), Superstorm Sandy (46%), and Superstorm Nemo (42%).
• There is a growing perception that U.S. weather is deteriorating; 64% of Americans believe weather has been "worse" over the past several years, an increase of 12 percentage points since Spring 2012.
• Personal experience with extreme weather is widespread, with 85% of Americans reporting at least one such event in the past year, most commonly extreme high winds (60%) and extreme heat waves (51%).
• The proportion of Americans reporting significant harm from extreme weather is increasing, with 37% stating they suffered a "moderate or great deal of harm" in the past year, up 5 percentage points from Fall 2012.
• Despite 54% of Americans believing it is "very" or "somewhat likely" that extreme weather will cause a natural disaster in their community within the next year, actual preparedness is low: only 31% have a known family emergency plan and 36% have an emergency supply kit.
• Interpersonal communication remains the dominant way Americans share experiences of extreme weather, with 89% talking face-to-face and 84% using the phone, while social media use is lower, such as 23% writing on Facebook.

APA

Center for Climate Change Communication (2013). Extreme Weather and Climate Change in the American Mind. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/April-2013-Extreme-Weather-and-Cliamte-Change-in-the-American-Mind-2013.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Change Communication. Extreme Weather and Climate Change in the American Mind. 2013. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/April-2013-Extreme-Weather-and-Cliamte-Change-in-the-American-Mind-2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Change Communication |title=Extreme Weather and Climate Change in the American Mind |date=April 2013 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/April-2013-Extreme-Weather-and-Cliamte-Change-in-the-American-Mind-2013.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimatechangecommunication2013extreme, author = {{Center for Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Extreme Weather and Climate Change in the American Mind}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2013}, month = apr, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/April-2013-Extreme-Weather-and-Cliamte-Change-in-the-American-Mind-2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }