Climate Change in the San Franciscan Mind

A 2013 survey of 700 San Francisco adults reveals high levels of belief in human-caused global warming (67%) and significant concern for its impacts. While residents expect severe future effects, including the potential abandonment of parts of the city due to sea level rise (66%), they are uncertain if humanity will successfully reduce warming. There is strong support for clean energy transitions and a preference for the U.S. to reduce emissions regardless of other countries' actions.

• A vast majority of San Franciscans believe global warming is occurring and is primarily driven by human activity. Specifically, 87% believe it is happening, and 67% attribute it mostly to human activities.
• San Franciscans express high levels of personal concern and perceived experience with climate change, with 77% reporting they are worried and 63% stating they have personally experienced its effects.
• Residents anticipate severe local impacts over the next 50 years, including a 66% expectation that sea level rise will necessitate the abandonment of parts of San Francisco. Other highly anticipated effects include more droughts and water shortages (91%), heat waves (89%), and declining wildlife (89%).
• There is strong support for government action and clean energy policies. 87% support tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels, and 80% support requiring utilities to produce at least 20% of electricity from renewables, even if it increases household costs by $100 annually.
• San Franciscans believe the United States should lead in emission reductions independently. 75% state the U.S. should reduce greenhouse gas emissions regardless of the actions of other countries.
• Despite believing in the efficacy of collective action, residents are pessimistic about the global outcome. Only 11% believe humans can and will successfully reduce global warming, while 52% are unsure if the necessary actions will be taken.
• Compared to the general California population, San Franciscans are more likely to believe global warming is happening (87% vs 79%) and are more worried about it (77% vs 63%). However, Californians generally are more likely to believe climate change is currently affecting local heat waves, drought, and wildfires.

APA

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

Chicago

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

Wikipedia

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