Support for Climate Justice Across Global Warming’s Six Americas

The briefing analyzes U.S. public opinion on climate justice using the 'Six Americas' framework. It finds that while awareness of the term 'climate justice' is low (34%), support for its goals increases significantly after the concept is explained, particularly among the 'Alarmed' and 'Concerned' segments. These groups are most likely to recognize that global warming disproportionately harms lower-income people and people of color, and are more likely to vote for candidates supporting climate justice. Conversely, the 'Doubtful' and 'Dismissive' segments show minimal recognition of climate injustice and low support for its goals.

• Recognition of climate injustice varies significantly by audience segment; the 'Alarmed' and 'Concerned' groups are the most likely to believe global warming impacts people unequally. Specifically, 77% of the Alarmed and 61% of the Concerned believe global warming harms lower-income people more than wealthier people, compared to only 1% of the Dismissive. Regarding race, 61% of the Alarmed believe global warming harms people of color more than white people, and 64% believe a history of racist policies has increased this vulnerability.
• There is a substantial gap between the general awareness of the term 'climate justice' and the support for its goals once defined. Only 34% of U.S. adults have heard of climate justice, but 53% support its goals after reading a definition. This trend is strongest among the Alarmed, where 88% support the goals despite only 49% having previously heard of the term.
• Support for the political inclusion of harmed communities and for pro-climate justice candidates is highest among the Alarmed and Concerned. 73% of the Alarmed and 56% of the Concerned believe groups most harmed by global warming should play a key role in government decisions. In terms of voting, 43% of Americans overall are more likely to vote for a candidate supporting climate justice, with a +74 net likelihood among the Alarmed and +48 among the Concerned.
• Recognition of gender-based climate injustice is very low across all segments. Only 13% of all Americans believe global warming harms women more than men, and only 30% of the Alarmed segment shares this view.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2024). Support for Climate Justice Across Global Warming’s Six Americas. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/support-for-climate-justice-across-global-warmings-six-americas/

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Support for Climate Justice Across Global Warming’s Six Americas. 2024. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/support-for-climate-justice-across-global-warmings-six-americas/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Support for Climate Justice Across Global Warming’s Six Americas |date=17 January 2024 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/support-for-climate-justice-across-global-warmings-six-americas/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2024support, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Support for Climate Justice Across Global Warming’s Six Americas}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/support-for-climate-justice-across-global-warmings-six-americas/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }