Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs and Attitudes in September 2012

Between January 2010 and September 2012, American belief in the reality of global warming rose from 57% to 70%, while those denying it fell from 20% to 12%. By September 2012, 54% of Americans attributed global warming mostly to human activities, and 58% expressed being "somewhat" or "very worried" about the issue. Perceptions of global warming as a current and future threat to individuals, families, communities, and nations—both in the United States and globally—showed significant increases since March 2012.

• Belief in the reality of global warming among Americans increased from 57 percent in January 2010 to 70 percent in September 2012, while the proportion of those stating it is not happening decreased from 20 percent to 12 percent in the same period.
• A majority of Americans (54%) now believe human activities are the primary cause of global warming, marking the first time since 2008 that this view has held a majority; conversely, those attributing it to natural environmental changes fell to 30 percent from 37 percent in March 2012.
• There is an increasing perception of global warming as a current and future threat, with 58% of Americans reporting they are "somewhat" or "very worried," the highest level since November 2008. Specific concerns rose since March 2012 regarding harm to people worldwide (40%), people in the United States (36%), and threats to themselves (42%), their families (46%), and their communities (48%).

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2012). Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs and Attitudes in September 2012. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/americans-global-warming-beliefs-and-attitudes-in-september-2012/

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs and Attitudes in September 2012. 2012. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/americans-global-warming-beliefs-and-attitudes-in-september-2012/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs and Attitudes in September 2012 |date=18 October 2012 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/americans-global-warming-beliefs-and-attitudes-in-september-2012/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2012americans, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs and Attitudes in September 2012}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2012}, month = oct, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/americans-global-warming-beliefs-and-attitudes-in-september-2012/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }