Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes

The Fall 2025 'Climate Change in the American Mind' report finds that 72% of Americans believe global warming is happening, with 58% attributing it primarily to human activities. While 64% of adults express worry about global warming, a significant majority (61%) underestimate the prevalence of this concern among the general public. The report highlights a high level of perceived risk, with majorities believing global warming will harm plant and animal species (69%) and future generations (68%). However, personal and social engagement remains relatively low, as 44% of respondents say they never discuss global warming with family and friends. Consumer activism is present but limited, with 31% of Americans reporting they have rewarded companies taking steps to reduce global warming through their purchases in the past year.

• A strong majority of Americans believe global warming is occurring, with those who believe it is happening outnumbering those who do not by more than 5 to 1 (72% vs 13%). When those who are unsure are asked for a best guess, the total percentage who think it is happening or lean toward that position rises to 81%.
• Most Americans attribute global warming to human activity rather than natural causes, with 58% stating it is mostly human-caused compared to 29% who believe it is mostly caused by natural changes in the environment.
• There is a general understanding of scientific consensus, as 57% of Americans recognize that most scientists believe global warming is happening, while 23% erroneously believe there is significant disagreement among scientists.
• While 64% of Americans are at least "somewhat worried" about global warming, there is a widespread misperception of this public sentiment; 61% of Americans underestimate the proportion of the population that is worried, and only 8% accurately estimate the percentage.
• Americans perceive significant risks to various groups and the environment, with majorities believing global warming will harm plant and animal species (69%), future generations (68%), the world’s poor (64%), people in developing countries (62%), people in the United States (60%), and the health of Americans (59%).
• A significant portion of the population perceives immediate harm and personal impact, with 44% believing people in the U.S. are being harmed "right now" and 47% stating they have personally experienced the effects of global warming.
• Americans identify several extreme weather events and environmental issues in the U.S. as being affected by global warming, most notably extreme heat (74%), wildfires (72%), and droughts (72%).
• Personal and social engagement with the topic is relatively infrequent; 27% of Americans say they never think about global warming, and 44% say they never discuss it with family and friends.
• Personal importance and responsibility are high, with 59% of Americans stating the issue is personally important to them and 59% feeling a personal responsibility to help reduce global warming.
• Consumer activism is practiced by a minority of the population, with 31% rewarding companies that reduce global warming by buying their products and 25% punishing opposing companies by boycotting them in the past 12 months.

APA

Center for Climate Change Communication (2025). Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/climate-change-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-fall-2025.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Change Communication. Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes. 2025. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/climate-change-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-fall-2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes |date=September 2025 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/climate-change-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-fall-2025.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimatechangecommunication2025climate, author = {{Center for Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs \& Attitudes}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2025}, month = sep, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/climate-change-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-fall-2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }