climate change in the coloradan mind

The report finds that 70% of Coloradans believe global warming is happening, though only 48% attribute it primarily to human activities. While 59% are worried about global warming and 73% consider it personally important, there is significant uncertainty regarding scientific consensus, with 50% believing there is "a lot of disagreement among scientists". Residents have observed increased severity in wildfires (75%) and droughts (72%) within the state. There is broad support for clean energy, including tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels (79%) and renewable energy mandates for utilities (67%). Most respondents (69%) believe the U.S. should reduce greenhouse gas emissions regardless of other countries' actions. Individual engagement varies, with 51% rewarding climate-friendly companies through purchases and 39% punishing opposing companies by boycotting them.

• A majority of Coloradans believe global warming is occurring, but they are divided on its cause and the level of scientific agreement. While 70% believe it is happening, only 48% believe it is "caused mostly by human activities". Furthermore, 50% believe that "there is a lot of disagreement among scientists" regarding the reality of global warming.
• Coloradans perceive an increase in the severity of specific extreme weather events in their state, particularly wildfires and droughts. 75% of respondents state that "wildfires have become more severe in their state" and 72% believe "droughts in the state have become more severe over the past several years".
• There is significant public support for the transition to clean energy and the implementation of green incentives. 79% of Coloradans support "tax rebates for people who purchase energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels", and 67% support requiring electric utilities to produce at least 20% of their electricity from renewable sources, even with a cost increase of $100 per year for the average household.
• Coloradans generally believe the United States should lead global efforts to reduce emissions. 69% state the U.S. should "reduce greenhouse gas emissions regardless of what other countries do", and 67% believe the U.S. should make a medium- or large-scale effort to reduce global warming even if there are "significant economic costs".
• While many Coloradans believe individual and collective actions are effective, they are pessimistic about the likelihood of successful global action. Only 7% believe that "humans can reduce global warming and we are going to do so successfully", while a plurality (43%) feel it is "unclear at this point whether we will do whats needed".
• Consumer behavior is being used as a tool to influence corporate climate policy. In the previous 12 months, 51% of Coloradans "have rewarded companies that are taking steps to reduce global warming by buying their products", and 39% have "punished companies that are opposing steps to reduce global warming by not buying their products".

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (n.d.). climate change in the coloradan mind. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2016/02/2013_09_Climate-Change-in-the-Coloradan-Mind.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. climate change in the coloradan mind. n.d. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2016/02/2013_09_Climate-Change-in-the-Coloradan-Mind.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=climate change in the coloradan mind |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2016/02/2013_09_Climate-Change-in-the-Coloradan-Mind.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunicationndclimate, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{climate change in the coloradan mind}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2016/02/2013_09_Climate-Change-in-the-Coloradan-Mind.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }