Americans’ Actions to Limit Global Warming

A November 2013 survey of 830 American adults reveals a decline in consumer activism and social discussion regarding global warming since 2011. While a small percentage of the population actively contacts government officials, there is latent potential for civic engagement, particularly if prompted by trusted individuals. The 'Alarmed' segment of the population is significantly more likely to engage in all forms of climate action. Household energy-saving behaviors, such as using compact fluorescent light bulbs, have remained relatively stable over five years.

• Consumer activism to influence corporations on global warming has decreased since November 2011. In the past 12 months, 29% of Americans rewarded companies taking steps to reduce global warming by buying their products, and 24% punished companies opposing such steps by not purchasing their products.
• Direct political engagement remains low, with only 13% of Americans contacting a government official about global warming in the past year. However, there is latent potential for action: 18% intend to urge officials to act in the next 12 months, and 29% would be willing to join a campaign to convince officials to take action to reduce global warming.
• Americans are more likely to engage in civic actions if asked by someone they 'like and respect.' The most popular action in this context is signing a petition (53%), followed by signing a pledge to vote for candidates sharing their views (39%), attending neighborhood meetings (38%), and attending public presentations (37%).
• Social discussion of global warming has declined; 26% of Americans say they discuss it 'often' or 'occasionally' with family or friends, down from 31% in November 2011.
• The 'Alarmed' segment (16% of the population) is the most active group across all categories. Majorities of this group have rewarded (67%) and punished (64%) companies based on climate actions, 40% have contacted government officials, and 76% discuss global warming often or occasionally.
• Household and transportation energy-saving behaviors have been largely stable over five years. 46% of Americans always or often set their winter thermostat to 68 degrees or cooler (down from 62% in 2008), and 11% always or often walk/bike or use public transport/carpool instead of driving.
• The adoption of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) has plateaued, with 53% of Americans reporting that most or all of their home bulbs are CFLs, a figure that has remained essentially stable since January 2010.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2013). Americans’ Actions to Limit Global Warming. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2014/02/Behavior-November-2013.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Americans’ Actions to Limit Global Warming. 2013. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2014/02/Behavior-November-2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Americans’ Actions to Limit Global Warming |date=November 2013 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2014/02/Behavior-November-2013.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2013americans, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Americans’ Actions to Limit Global Warming}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2013}, month = nov, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2014/02/Behavior-November-2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }