Climate Change in the American Mind

The December 2020 survey indicates that 72% of Americans believe global warming is happening, with 58% attributing it to human activities. While 66% express worry and 65% feel a personal responsibility to help, social engagement remains low, as 62% rarely or never discuss the topic with family and friends. The public perceives global warming primarily as an environmental (80%) and scientific (73%) issue, and a majority believe it is already harming people in the U.S. and affecting national weather patterns.

• A significant majority of Americans believe global warming is occurring, with 72% stating it is happening compared to 13% who believe it is not. Half of the population (50%) are "extremely" or "very" sure of its occurrence.
• While 58% of Americans recognize that global warming is mostly human-caused, there is a gap in understanding the strength of scientific consensus; only 20% are aware that more than 90% of climate scientists agree on human-caused warming.
• Emotional responses are varied, with 66% of Americans reporting they are at least "somewhat worried" about global warming. The most common strong emotions include interest (61%), hope (43%), disgust (42%), and helplessness (41%).
• Perceptions of harm are high, with 47% of Americans believing people in the U.S. are being harmed by global warming "right now" and 42% reporting they have personally experienced its effects.
• Social engagement with the topic is limited; 62% of Americans rarely or never discuss global warming with family and friends, and only 21% hear people they know discuss it at least once a month.
• Americans conceptualize global warming across multiple dimensions, most strongly as an environmental issue (80%) and a scientific issue (73%), followed by agricultural (68%), severe weather (66%), and economic (66%) issues.
• There is a strong link between global warming and weather perceptions in the U.S., with 63% believing it affects U.S. weather and 35% stating it affects it "a lot."
• A majority of Americans express concern over local environmental hazards, specifically water pollution (73%), air pollution (73%), extreme heat (65%), droughts (64%), and agricultural pests and diseases (64%).
• Despite the risks, 65% of Americans feel a personal responsibility to help reduce global warming, and 68% disagree that it is too late to take action.

APA

Center for Climate Change Communication (2020). Climate Change in the American Mind. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/climate-change-american-mind-december-2020.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Change Communication. Climate Change in the American Mind. 2020. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/climate-change-american-mind-december-2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Change in the American Mind |date=December 2020 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/climate-change-american-mind-december-2020.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimatechangecommunication2020climate, author = {{Center for Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Climate Change in the American Mind}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2020}, month = dec, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/climate-change-american-mind-december-2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }