Segmenting the Climate Change Alarmed: Active, Willing, and Inactive

The research segments the 'Alarmed' population in the U.S. into three groups: Active (34%), Willing (46%), and Inactive (20%). While the Active Alarmed show high levels of activism and political efficacy, the Willing Alarmed express a potential for action but rarely engage, and the Inactive Alarmed are characterized by uncertainty and lower political confidence. The study suggests that tailored communication and the removal of structural barriers are necessary to convert climate concern into political and social action.

• The 'Alarmed' segment of the U.S. population is divided into three subgroups based on climate-related behavior: the Active (34% of Alarmed), the Willing (46%), and the Inactive (20%).
• The Active Alarmed represent 8% of the U.S. population and are the most likely to participate in campaigns to influence elected officials, though only 17% are currently doing so. They also report the highest levels of collective political efficacy and strong emotional responses such as anger, disgust, or outrage.
• The Willing Alarmed represent 11% of the U.S. population; while they rarely participate in climate campaigns currently, a majority (68%) say they 'definitely' or 'probably' would do so.
• The Inactive Alarmed represent 5% of the U.S. population and are characterized by uncertainty regarding activism, lower political party affiliation, and a higher likelihood of being female or having a household income under $25,000.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2021). Segmenting the Climate Change Alarmed: Active, Willing, and Inactive. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/segmenting-the-climate-change-alarmed-active-willing-and-inactive/

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Segmenting the Climate Change Alarmed: Active, Willing, and Inactive. 2021. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/segmenting-the-climate-change-alarmed-active-willing-and-inactive/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Segmenting the Climate Change Alarmed: Active, Willing, and Inactive |date=26 July 2021 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/segmenting-the-climate-change-alarmed-active-willing-and-inactive/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2021segmenting, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Segmenting the Climate Change Alarmed: Active, Willing, and Inactive}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/segmenting-the-climate-change-alarmed-active-willing-and-inactive/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }