Do Americans understand how air pollution from fossil fuels harms health?

A December 2018 survey of 1,114 US adults found that while 73% believe fossil fuel air pollution harms health, only 55% could name a specific health problem. Most respondents cited general respiratory issues, while neurological problems, diabetes, and kidney disease were largely unknown. Additionally, 56% believe certain groups are more vulnerable to these effects, most frequently identifying seniors and those in polluted areas.

• A majority of Americans recognize that air pollution from fossil fuels is harmful to health, but only slightly more than half can identify a specific health impact.
• Public knowledge of health impacts is dominated by general respiratory issues, with very low awareness of neurological or other systemic diseases.
• No survey participants mentioned several health conditions linked to air pollution, specifically diabetes, kidney disease, or the weakening of bones.
• While 56% of participants believe some groups are more susceptible to air pollution's health effects, fewer than half of the total sample could name a specific vulnerable group.
• The most commonly identified vulnerable populations are seniors and people living or working in polluted areas.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2019). Do Americans understand how air pollution from fossil fuels harms health? https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/do-americans-understand-how-air-pollution-from-fossil-fuels-harms-health/

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Do Americans understand how air pollution from fossil fuels harms health? 2019. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/do-americans-understand-how-air-pollution-from-fossil-fuels-harms-health/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Do Americans understand how air pollution from fossil fuels harms health? |date=14 May 2019 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/do-americans-understand-how-air-pollution-from-fossil-fuels-harms-health/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2019americans, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Do Americans understand how air pollution from fossil fuels harms health?}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2019}, month = may, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/do-americans-understand-how-air-pollution-from-fossil-fuels-harms-health/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }