Climate Change in the American Mind 2009

The survey indicates that while the economy is the top priority for Americans, a majority still view global warming as a high national priority and personally important. There is strong support for U.S. action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including unilateral action and acceptance of economic costs, as well as high support for renewable energy research.

• Economic concerns significantly outweighed other national issues, with 76 percent of Americans identifying the economy as a "very high" priority. Global warming ranked 10th out of 11 national issues, although it remained a high or very high priority for a majority of the population and was personally important to 72 percent of respondents.
• There is broad consensus that the United States should act to reduce global warming regardless of economic costs or the actions of other nations. Over 90 percent supported action despite economic costs, and 67 percent supported reducing greenhouse gas emissions regardless of what other countries do.
• Americans identified several positive outcomes of reducing global warming, most notably providing a better life for future generations (66%) and saving plant and animal species (65%). The most personally important outcomes were a better life for children and grandchildren (25%) and protecting God's creation (19%).
• The primary concerns regarding climate action include increased government regulation (44%), rising energy prices (31%), and economic harm or job loss (17%). Despite these concerns, 92 percent of those who saw both positive and negative outcomes believed the nation should still act.
• There is strong support for specific climate-related policies and investments, including policies with direct economic costs like increased vehicle fuel efficiency and a 92 percent support rate for increased funding for renewable energy research, such as wind and solar power.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2009). Climate Change in the American Mind 2009. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-american-mind-2009/

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Climate Change in the American Mind 2009. 2009. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-american-mind-2009/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Change in the American Mind 2009 |date=1 March 2009 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-american-mind-2009/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2009climate, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Climate Change in the American Mind 2009}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2009}, month = mar, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-american-mind-2009/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }