Social Media and Global Warming’s Six Americas

Based on a Fall 2025 survey of 1,146 U.S. adults, the report finds that 94% of Americans visit at least one social media platform weekly, with YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram being the most common across all climate-opinion segments. The 'Alarmed' segment hears about global warming on social media most frequently (43% at least once a month), while the 'Disengaged' hear about it least (8%). The authors suggest that climate communicators should prioritize video content and strategically select platforms to reach different segments, noting that algorithms likely reinforce existing beliefs by tailoring climate information to user habits.

• The vast majority of Americans use social media regularly, with 94% visiting at least one platform weekly. The most frequently used platforms across the entire population are YouTube (72%), Facebook (64%), and Instagram (46%).
• While YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram are the most used platforms across all six segments of the 'Six Americas' framework, usage patterns differ for other platforms including Bluesky, LinkedIn, Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok, Truth Social, and YouTube. There are no significant differences between segments regarding the weekly use of Facebook, Nextdoor, Pinterest, Threads, WhatsApp, or X/Twitter.
• Frequency of hearing about global warming on social media varies significantly by climate-opinion segment. Overall, 23% of Americans hear about it at least once a month. The 'Alarmed' segment reports the highest frequency at 43%, followed by the Dismissive (23%), Concerned (20%), Doubtful (16%), Cautious (11%), and Disengaged (8%).
• Social media algorithms likely create information silos where the 'Alarmed' see more climate-action supportive content and the 'Dismissive' see more climate-skeptical information. Because of this and the prevalence of misinformation, the report emphasizes the need for accurate climate information to reach the public.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2026). Social Media and Global Warming’s Six Americas. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/social-media-six-americas/

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Social Media and Global Warming’s Six Americas. 2026. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/social-media-six-americas/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Social Media and Global Warming’s Six Americas |date=10 September 2026 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/social-media-six-americas/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2026social, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Social Media and Global Warming’s Six Americas}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2026}, month = sep, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/social-media-six-americas/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }