Climate Change in the American Mind

The report finds that 70% of Americans believe global warming is happening, a seven percent increase since spring 2015. Public concern is rising, with 58% expressing worry and a record 38% believing people in the U.S. are being harmed "right now". There is strong support (76%) for teaching children about global warming in school.

• Public belief that global warming is occurring has risen to 70%, representing a seven percent increase since spring 2015 and nearly reaching the historical peak of 71% recorded since November 2008.
• Concern regarding global warming is increasing, with 58% of Americans reporting they are "somewhat" or "very" worried; specifically, those who are "very worried" increased by five percentage points to 16%.
• Americans perceive global warming as an increasing threat to various groups, with 63% citing harm to people in developing countries, 59% to people in the U.S., 70% to future generations, and 41% to themselves personally. A record 38% believe people in the U.S. are currently being harmed.
• There is significant public support for climate education, with 76% of Americans supporting the teaching of global warming to children in school compared to 23% who oppose it.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2016). Climate Change in the American Mind. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-american-mind-march-2016/

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Climate Change in the American Mind. 2016. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-american-mind-march-2016/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Change in the American Mind |date=2 June 2016 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-american-mind-march-2016/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2016climate, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Climate Change in the American Mind}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2016}, month = jun, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-american-mind-march-2016/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }