Americans’ Actions to Conserve Energy, Reduce Waste, and Limit Global Warming in November 2011

The report details American adults' behaviors and attitudes toward climate-related actions in November 2011. Key findings include a decline in the percentage of people who 'Always' set their winter thermostat to 68 degrees or cooler compared to 2008, and a high level of confidence (56%) in the ability to replace home light bulbs with CFLs. While a majority of respondents (55%) never rewarded companies for climate-positive steps in the past year, 55% intend to engage in consumer activism in the coming year. The data also shows that 81% of respondents had never volunteered or donated to a global warming organization in the previous 12 months.

• In November 2011, 23% of American adults reported they 'Always' set their winter thermostat to 68 degrees or cooler, a decrease from 38% in November 2008.
• A significant portion of the population avoids active transportation; 36% of respondents 'Never' used public transportation or carpooled, and 32% 'Never' walked or biked instead of driving in November 2011.
• Adoption of energy-efficient lighting is prevalent, with 19% of respondents reporting that 'All' and 36% reporting that 'Most' of their home light bulbs are compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) as of November 2011.
• Americans express high self-efficacy regarding lighting changes, with 56% feeling 'Completely confident' they could change most of their home light bulbs to CFLs if they wanted to.
• Perceptions of the impact of individual actions vary; 42% of respondents believe that if most people in modern industrialized countries took these energy-saving actions, it would reduce global warming 'A lot'.
• Consumer activism is characterized by a high rate of inaction; 55% of respondents 'Never' rewarded companies for taking steps to reduce global warming by buying their products in the past 12 months.
• Direct citizen engagement with government and organizations is low, with 87% of respondents reporting they 'Never' wrote, emailed, or phoned government officials about global warming in the past year.

APA

Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., Smith, N., & Hmielowski, J. D. (2011). Americans’ Actions to Conserve Energy, Reduce Waste, and Limit Global Warming in November 2011. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/November-2011-Americans-Actions-to-Conserve-Energy-Reduce-Waste-and-Limit-Global-Warming.pdf

Chicago

Leiserowitz, Anthony, Edward Maibach, Connie Roser-Renouf, Nicholas Smith, and Jay D. Hmielowski. Americans’ Actions to Conserve Energy, Reduce Waste, and Limit Global Warming in November 2011. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2011. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/November-2011-Americans-Actions-to-Conserve-Energy-Reduce-Waste-and-Limit-Global-Warming.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Leiserowitz |first1=Anthony |last2=Maibach |first2=Edward |last3=Roser-Renouf |first3=Connie |last4=Smith |first4=Nicholas |last5=Hmielowski |first5=Jay D. |title=Americans’ Actions to Conserve Energy, Reduce Waste, and Limit Global Warming in November 2011 |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=2011 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/November-2011-Americans-Actions-to-Conserve-Energy-Reduce-Waste-and-Limit-Global-Warming.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{leiserowitz2011americans, author = {Leiserowitz, Anthony and Maibach, Edward and Roser-Renouf, Connie and Smith, Nicholas and Hmielowski, Jay D.}, title = {{Americans’ Actions to Conserve Energy, Reduce Waste, and Limit Global Warming in November 2011}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2011}, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/November-2011-Americans-Actions-to-Conserve-Energy-Reduce-Waste-and-Limit-Global-Warming.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }