American Catholics Worry About Global Warming and Support U.S. Action

A 2014 survey of American adults reveals that Catholics are more likely than other Christians to believe global warming is occurring, express worry about it, and support policy interventions. Specifically, 70% of Catholics believe global warming is happening, compared to 57% of other Christians. Catholics also show higher support for renewable energy funding and mandates, including a 69% support rate for requiring utilities to produce 20% of electricity from renewables despite potential cost increases, compared to 53% of other Christians.

• A majority of American Catholics believe global warming is occurring, and they are more likely than other Christians to attribute it to human activity. Specifically, 70% of Catholics believe global warming is happening, compared to 57% of non-Catholic Christians; among those who believe it is happening, 48% of Catholics think it is mostly human caused, while 35% of other Christians share this view.
• Catholics in the U.S. report higher levels of concern regarding global warming and a greater awareness of scientific consensus than other Christians. 64% of Catholics are very or somewhat worried, which is 18 percentage points higher than the 46% reported by other Christians. Additionally, 46% of Catholics understand that most scientists believe global warming is happening, compared to 37% of other Christians.
• American Catholics show stronger support for climate policies than other Christians, particularly regarding renewable energy research and tax incentives. 81% of Catholics support funding research into renewable energy sources like solar and wind power and providing tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels, while support among other Christians for these measures is 73%.
• The most significant gap in policy support between the two groups concerns mandates for electric utilities to use renewable energy. 69% of Catholics support requiring utilities to produce at least 20% of electricity from wind, solar, or other renewables even if it costs households an extra $100 per year, compared to 53% of non-Catholic Christians.

APA

Grecni, Z. (2015). American Catholics Worry About Global Warming and Support U.S. Action. Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/american-catholics-worry-about-global-warming-and-support-u-s-action/

Chicago

Grecni, Zena. American Catholics Worry About Global Warming and Support U.S. Action. Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, 2015. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/american-catholics-worry-about-global-warming-and-support-u-s-action/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Grecni |first1=Zena |title=American Catholics Worry About Global Warming and Support U.S. Action |publisher=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |date=12 March 2015 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/american-catholics-worry-about-global-warming-and-support-u-s-action/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{grecni2015american, author = {Grecni, Zena}, title = {{American Catholics Worry About Global Warming and Support U.S. Action}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/american-catholics-worry-about-global-warming-and-support-u-s-action/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }