Lower-income and environmentally “Disengaged” Americans are most likely to think that nature is random and unpredictable

The report analyzes a 2014 survey of 1,576 American adults to determine how conceptualizations of nature's balance—whether viewed as stable, delicate, or random—influence perceptions of global warming. It finds that those who view nature as delicate are most likely to believe in global warming, while those who view it as very stable are least likely. Specifically, the 'Disengaged' segment and individuals with annual household incomes under $25,000 are the most likely to perceive nature as random and unpredictable.

• Americans hold diverse views on the balance of nature: 41% believe it is "somewhat stable" (where big changes cause disasters), 30% believe it is "random and unpredictable," 23% believe it is "delicate" (where small changes cause disasters), and 6% believe it is "very stable" (where even large changes have no lasting impact).
• There is a strong correlation between mental models of nature and beliefs regarding global warming: 83% of those who view nature's balance as delicate believe global warming is occurring, whereas 53% of those who view it as very stable do not believe it is happening.
• The 'Disengaged' segment—characterized as the most apathetic toward environmental issues, the only majority non-white segment among the nine identified groups, and the group with the lowest income and education—is the most likely to view nature as random and unpredictable, with 59% holding this view.
• Income level is a significant predictor of nature conceptualization; 41% of Americans with annual household incomes under $25,000 view nature as random and unpredictable, the highest percentage of any income group. The report suggests this may be linked to a reduced sense of control and higher vulnerability to environmental disasters.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2017). Lower-income and environmentally “Disengaged” Americans are most likely to think that nature is random and unpredictable. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/nature-stable-delicate-random/

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Lower-income and environmentally “Disengaged” Americans are most likely to think that nature is random and unpredictable. 2017. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/nature-stable-delicate-random/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Lower-income and environmentally “Disengaged” Americans are most likely to think that nature is random and unpredictable |date=20 April 2017 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/nature-stable-delicate-random/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2017lowerincome, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Lower-income and environmentally “Disengaged” Americans are most likely to think that nature is random and unpredictable}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2017}, month = apr, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/nature-stable-delicate-random/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }