Climate Change in the Columbus, Ohioan Mind

The report finds that while 70% of Columbus residents believe global warming is happening and many are worried about it, there is significant uncertainty regarding scientific consensus and personal experience with its effects. A majority support clean energy transitions and believe the U.S. should reduce emissions regardless of other countries' actions, though they remain skeptical about humanity's collective will to successfully reduce global warming.

• A majority of Columbus residents believe global warming is occurring, though views on its cause and scientific consensus are divided. While 70% believe it is happening, only 49% attribute it mostly to human activities, and 49% believe "there is a lot of disagreement among scientists" regarding its occurrence.
• Residents generally view global warming as a personal concern, yet few feel they have experienced its effects firsthand. Approximately 69% consider the issue at least somewhat important personally and 56% are at least somewhat worried, but 51% report they have not personally experienced the effects of global warming.
• Those who believe global warming is happening anticipate severe local impacts over the next 50 years, particularly regarding heat and storms. High percentages expect more heat waves (91%), worse storms (88%), and increased health problems such as allergies and asthma (88%).
• There is broad support for government and corporate action to address climate change, with a preference for U.S. leadership. Over half of respondents believe more should be done by Congress (61%), President Obama (57%), and local officials (57%), while 65% state the U.S. should reduce emissions "regardless of whether other countries do the same."
• Columbus residents show strong support for clean energy policies and perceive economic benefits in transitioning away from fossil fuels. 77% support tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels, and 47% believe switching to clean energy would "increase economic growth and the number of jobs" in the area.
• While many residents engage in individual mitigation efforts and believe collective action is effective, there is deep skepticism about whether humanity will actually succeed. Only 5% believe humans can reduce global warming and "will do so successfully," while 42% believe it is "unclear at this point whether we will do what is needed."

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (n.d.). Climate Change in the Columbus, Ohioan Mind. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2016/02/2013_10_Climate-Change-in-the-Columbus-Ohioan-Mind.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Climate Change in the Columbus, Ohioan Mind. n.d. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2016/02/2013_10_Climate-Change-in-the-Columbus-Ohioan-Mind.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Change in the Columbus, Ohioan Mind |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2016/02/2013_10_Climate-Change-in-the-Columbus-Ohioan-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 Columbus, Ohioan Mind}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2016/02/2013_10_Climate-Change-in-the-Columbus-Ohioan-Mind.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }