Global Warming’s Six Americas

The report identifies six audience segments in the US—the Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive—and tracks their evolution from 2008 to 2012. It finds that 70% of the public (Alarmed, Concerned, and Cautious) believe global warming is a real threat. While there is broad support for increasing renewable energy and eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, perceptions of political influence are skewed, with most segments believing campaign contributors and fossil fuel companies have the most power over elected officials.

• As of September 2012, the American public is divided into six segments based on their level of concern and engagement: the Concerned (29%), Cautious (25%), Alarmed (16%), Doubtful (13%), Disengaged (9%), and Dismissive (8%).
• Public engagement with the issue of global warming saw a decline between late 2008 and early 2010, but rebounded by September 2012, with the Alarmed, Concerned, and Cautious segments again comprising 70% of the population.
• Improved public health is one of the top three perceived benefits of reducing fossil fuel use and global warming for five of the six audience segments.
• Increased government regulation and higher energy prices are the top two perceived drawbacks of taking action to reduce global warming across all six audience segments.
• There is broad consensus across all six segments that the U.S. should increase its use of renewable energy, and five of the six segments prefer to reduce fossil fuel use; only the Dismissive prefer to increase it.
• Five of the six segments support the elimination of subsidies for the fossil fuel industry and oppose the elimination of subsidies for renewable energy companies.
• Support for a carbon tax varies by the proposed use of revenue; the Alarmed and Concerned are most likely to support a candidate proposing a revenue-neutral tax that creates green jobs or reduces pollution.
• Support for building new nuclear power plants and offshore drilling has decreased across all six audience segments since 2008.
• While most Americans believe they can influence elected officials if they work with others, they perceive themselves as having the least political influence compared to other actors.
• Five of the six segments identify large campaign contributors and fossil fuel companies as having the strongest influence on elected officials.

APA

Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., Feinberg, G., & Howe, P. (2013). Global Warming’s Six Americas. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/September-2012-Global-Warmings-Six-Americas-in-September-2012.pdf

Chicago

Leiserowitz, Anthony, Edward Maibach, Connie Roser-Renouf, Geoff Feinberg, and Peter Howe. Global Warming’s Six Americas. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2013. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/September-2012-Global-Warmings-Six-Americas-in-September-2012.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Leiserowitz |first1=Anthony |last2=Maibach |first2=Edward |last3=Roser-Renouf |first3=Connie |last4=Feinberg |first4=Geoff |last5=Howe |first5=Peter |title=Global Warming’s Six Americas |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=2013 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/September-2012-Global-Warmings-Six-Americas-in-September-2012.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{leiserowitz2013global, author = {Leiserowitz, Anthony and Maibach, Edward and Roser-Renouf, Connie and Feinberg, Geoff and Howe, Peter}, title = {{Global Warming’s Six Americas}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2013}, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/September-2012-Global-Warmings-Six-Americas-in-September-2012.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }