Climate Change in the American Mind

The June 2010 survey of 1,024 American adults indicates that 61% believe global warming is happening, though 45% believe there is significant disagreement among scientists on the matter. While 50% attribute global warming to human activities, a large portion of the population expresses uncertainty about personal impact and the ability of humans to successfully reduce it. Trust in scientists remains high, while trust in mainstream news media is lower. The data shows a trend of fluctuating belief in global warming and varying levels of concern for future generations and the environment compared to previous years.

• In June 2010, 61% of surveyed American adults believed global warming is happening, an increase from 57% in January 2010 but a decrease from 71% in November 2008.
• Half of the respondents (50%) believe global warming is caused mostly by human activities, while 34% attribute it to natural changes in the environment.
• There is significant public perception of scientific disagreement; 45% of respondents believe "There is a lot of disagreement among scientists about whether or not global warming is happening."
• Respondents perceive the highest level of harm from global warming to be affecting plant and animal species (40% saying 'a great deal') and future generations of people (39% saying 'a great deal').
• Regarding the ability to mitigate climate change, 47% of respondents believe humans could reduce global warming but it is unclear if the necessary actions will be taken.
• A combined 52% of respondents believe they need more information to form a firm opinion on global warming, with 20% stating they need "a lot more information".

APA

Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., & Smith, N. (2010). Climate Change in the American Mind. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/June-2010-Americans-Global-Warming-Beliefs-and-Attitudes.pdf

Chicago

Leiserowitz, Anthony, Edward Maibach, Connie Roser-Renouf, and Nicholas Smith. Climate Change in the American Mind. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2010. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/June-2010-Americans-Global-Warming-Beliefs-and-Attitudes.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Leiserowitz |first1=Anthony |last2=Maibach |first2=Edward |last3=Roser-Renouf |first3=Connie |last4=Smith |first4=Nicholas |title=Climate Change in the American Mind |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=2010 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/June-2010-Americans-Global-Warming-Beliefs-and-Attitudes.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{leiserowitz2010climate, author = {Leiserowitz, Anthony and Maibach, Edward and Roser-Renouf, Connie and Smith, Nicholas}, title = {{Climate Change in the American Mind}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2010}, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/June-2010-Americans-Global-Warming-Beliefs-and-Attitudes.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }