Extreme Weather and Climate Change in the American Mind

The report finds that a growing majority of Americans (74%) believe global warming is affecting U.S. weather, with many attributing recent extreme heat, drought, and record temperatures to climate change. It details regional variations in perceptions, noting that Midwesterners were particularly sensitive to drought and crop harm in 2012, while Westerners reported higher rates of forest fires. The data shows an increase in the number of Americans reporting personal harm to health, property, or finances from extreme heat and drought.

• A growing majority of Americans believe global warming is influencing U.S. weather, with 74% agreeing this is the case, representing a 5-point increase from March 2012.
• Americans generally believe global warming exacerbated several recent extreme weather events, most notably the record high temperatures of summer 2012 (73%), drought in the Midwest and Great Plains (71%), the unusually warm winter of 2011-2012 (71%), the unusually warm spring of 2012 (70%), and record forest fires in the American West (65%).
• Public perception of U.S. weather is trending negatively, with 61% of Americans stating that weather in the U.S. has been getting worse over the past several years, an increase of 9 percentage points since March 2012.
• Perceptions of local weather trends vary by region; 56% of Southerners and 50% of Midwesterners believe their local weather has been getting worse over the past few years.
• Drought and heat waves are perceived as becoming more common locally. 51% of Americans believe droughts are more common, a trend driven by a 25-point increase in the Midwest (66%). Similarly, 58% believe heat waves are more common, with significant increases in the Northeast (+12 points) and Midwest (+15 points).
• Personal experiences with extreme weather in the past year were high for heat waves (61%) and drought (49%). In the Midwest, reported experiences of drought (81%) and extreme heat waves (83%) more than doubled compared to March 2012.
• There is an increase in reported personal harm from extreme weather; 20% of Americans report suffering harm to their health, property, and/or finances from an extreme heat wave, and 15% report harm from a drought.
• Regional observations of specific hazards differ: 71% of Midwesterners perceive more harm to local crops, while 49% of Westerners report an increase in local forest fires.

APA

Center for Climate Change Communication (2012). Extreme Weather and Climate Change in the American Mind. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/September-2012-Extreme-Weather-and-Climate-Change-in-the-American-Mind.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Change Communication. Extreme Weather and Climate Change in the American Mind. 2012. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/September-2012-Extreme-Weather-and-Climate-Change-in-the-American-Mind.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Change Communication |title=Extreme Weather and Climate Change in the American Mind |date=September 2012 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/September-2012-Extreme-Weather-and-Climate-Change-in-the-American-Mind.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimatechangecommunication2012extreme, author = {{Center for Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Extreme Weather and Climate Change in the American Mind}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2012}, month = sep, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/September-2012-Extreme-Weather-and-Climate-Change-in-the-American-Mind.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }