climate change in the american mind

A March 2021 survey of 1,037 American adults reveals that 70% believe global warming is happening and 57% attribute it primarily to human activity. While 64% of respondents express worry about global warming and 65% feel a personal responsibility to reduce it, social engagement remains low, with 67% rarely or never discussing the topic with family and friends. The report also highlights a gap in understanding scientific consensus, as only 22% recognize that over 90% of climate scientists agree on human-caused warming. Perceived risks are highest for future generations and plant and animal species, while a majority of Americans believe extreme weather poses a moderate to high risk to their local communities.

• 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 4 to 1 (70% vs 15%). Half of the population (50%) are "extremely" or "very" sure it is happening.
• While 57% of Americans believe global warming is mostly human-caused, there is a significant gap in understanding the strength of scientific consensus; only 22% are aware that more than 90% of climate scientists agree that human-caused global warming is happening.
• Public concern is high, with 64% of Americans reporting they are at least "somewhat worried" about global warming and 25% stating they are "very worried."
• Americans perceive the highest levels of harm from global warming to be affecting plant and animal species (71%) and future generations (71%), followed by the world's poor (68%) and people in developing countries (68%).
• Social engagement with the topic is limited; 67% of Americans rarely or never discuss global warming with family and friends, and only 20% hear people they know talk about it at least once a month.
• Despite low social discussion, 65% of Americans feel a personal responsibility to help reduce global warming, and 60% disagree that the actions of a single individual make no difference.
• A majority of Americans (54%) disagree that new technologies can solve global warming without individuals making significant changes to their lives.
• Regarding local impacts, 55% of Americans believe extreme weather poses a moderate or high risk to their community over the next 10 years. The most concerning local environmental hazards are water pollution (73%) and air pollution (72%).
• 61% of Americans believe global warming is affecting weather in the United States, with 31% stating it is affecting weather "a lot."

APA

Center for Climate Change Communication (2021). climate change in the american mind. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/climate-change-american-mind-march-2021b.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Change Communication. climate change in the american mind. 2021. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/climate-change-american-mind-march-2021b.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Change Communication |title=climate change in the american mind |date=March 2021 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/climate-change-american-mind-march-2021b.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimatechangecommunication2021climate, author = {{Center for Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{climate change in the american mind}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/climate-change-american-mind-march-2021b.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }