Climate Change in the American Mind

The November 2011 survey indicates that 63% of Americans believe global warming is happening, with 50% attributing it primarily to human activities. While 54% of respondents express some level of worry about global warming, there is a significant perception of risk for future generations (62% seeing a great or moderate amount of harm) and plant and animal species (60%). Trust in information sources is highest for climate scientists (74% trust) and television weather reporters (58%), while trust in political figures and the mainstream news media is notably lower. Additionally, 54% of respondents believe global warming is affecting the weather in the United States, and 54% are worried about the country running out of natural resources.

• Among those who assume global warming is occurring, 50% believe it is caused mostly by human activities, compared to 33% who attribute it to natural changes in the environment.
• Public opinion on the ability to mitigate global warming is divided; 47% believe humans could reduce it but it is unclear if the necessary actions will be taken, while 25% believe people are unwilling to change their behavior.

APA

Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., Smith, N., & Hmielowski, J. D. (2011). Climate Change in the American Mind. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/November-2011-Americans-Global-Warming-Beliefs-and-Attitudes.pdf

Chicago

Leiserowitz, Anthony, Edward Maibach, Connie Roser-Renouf, Nicholas Smith, and Jay D. Hmielowski. Climate Change in the American Mind. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2011. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/November-2011-Americans-Global-Warming-Beliefs-and-Attitudes.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{leiserowitz2011climate, author = {Leiserowitz, Anthony and Maibach, Edward and Roser-Renouf, Connie and Smith, Nicholas and Hmielowski, Jay D.}, title = {{Climate Change in the American Mind}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2011}, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/November-2011-Americans-Global-Warming-Beliefs-and-Attitudes.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }