PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF NASA’S RESEARCH AND REACTIONS TO THE CLIMATE.NASA.GOV WEBSITE

The study finds that NASA is viewed as a competent and trustworthy source of climate research, with a majority of Americans preferring NASA over other federal agencies to answer key climate questions. While users generally liked the climate.nasa.gov website—praising its visuals and abundance of information—they were only moderately satisfied with how well it answered their specific questions, particularly regarding the costs and personal actions for reducing climate change. Website traffic varied by audience segment, with the 'Dismissive' and 'Doubtful' groups most likely to visit the Uncertainties and Causes sections, while the 'Alarmed' group showed the most interest in NASA's role and solutions.

• The American public generally views NASA's scientific and climate research as credible, competent, and trustworthy, with average survey responses exceeding the scale mid-point of 2.5.
• A majority of survey participants preferred NASA over the average of other federal agencies to answer 13 out of 16 common questions about climate change.
• User reactions to climate.nasa.gov were predominantly positive, with approximately 70% of comments being positive and 40% of participants finding nothing confusing about the site. Visuals, specifically the State of Flux and climate change images, were highlighted as particularly interesting.
• Participants reported moderate satisfaction with the website's ability to answer their specific questions; 32% found a 'moderate amount' of information and 42% said the information 'partially' answered their question. Users found the least information and lowest utility regarding the cost of reducing climate change and personal actions to take.
• Website navigation patterns differed by audience segment: the 'Dismissive' and 'Doubtful' segments most frequently visited the Uncertainties and Causes sections, whereas the 'Alarmed' segment was most interested in NASA's role, missions, and solutions.
• The 'Evidence' and 'Causes' sections were the most visited overall, which the authors suggest may be due to their high placement on the website's side menu.

APA

Myers, T., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., Anderson, A., Stenhouse, N., & Leiserowitz, A. (2013). PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF NASA’S RESEARCH AND REACTIONS TO THE CLIMATE.NASA.GOV WEBSITE. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Perceptions_NASA_Research_and_Climate_Website_Jan_2013_final.pdf

Chicago

Myers, Teresa, Edward Maibach, Connie Roser-Renouf, Ashley Anderson, Neil Stenhouse, and Anthony Leiserowitz. PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF NASA’S RESEARCH AND REACTIONS TO THE CLIMATE.NASA.GOV WEBSITE. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2013. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Perceptions_NASA_Research_and_Climate_Website_Jan_2013_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Myers |first1=Teresa |last2=Maibach |first2=Edward |last3=Roser-Renouf |first3=Connie |last4=Anderson |first4=Ashley |last5=Stenhouse |first5=Neil |last6=Leiserowitz |first6=Anthony |title=PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF NASA’S RESEARCH AND REACTIONS TO THE CLIMATE.NASA.GOV WEBSITE |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=25 January 2013 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Perceptions_NASA_Research_and_Climate_Website_Jan_2013_final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{myers2013public, author = {Myers, Teresa and Maibach, Edward and Roser-Renouf, Connie and Anderson, Ashley and Stenhouse, Neil and Leiserowitz, Anthony}, title = {{PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF NASA’S RESEARCH AND REACTIONS TO THE CLIMATE.NASA.GOV WEBSITE}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2013}, month = jan, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Perceptions_NASA_Research_and_Climate_Website_Jan_2013_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }