Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes

The Fall 2024 report on 'Climate Change in the American Mind' reveals that a strong majority of Americans (73%) believe global warming is happening, with 60% attributing it primarily to human causes. While 64% of adults express worry about global warming and many perceive it as a current harm to the United States, social engagement remains low, with 62% rarely or never discussing the topic with family and friends. The report also highlights significant concerns regarding local environmental risks, particularly extreme heat, air pollution, and power outages.

• A significant majority of Americans believe global warming is occurring, with those who believe it is happening outnumbering those who do not by more than 5 to 1 (73% vs 14%).
• Most Americans attribute global warming to human activity and recognize the scientific consensus on the issue; 60% believe it is mostly human-caused and 57% understand that most scientists believe it is happening.
• Worry about global warming is prevalent, with 64% of Americans reporting they are at least "somewhat worried," and 28% stating they are "very worried."
• Americans perceive global warming as a current threat, with 48% believing people in the U.S. are being harmed "right now" and 49% reporting personal experience with its effects.
• There is a high perceived risk of global warming harming various groups, including plant and animal species (70%), the world's poor (68%), and people in the U.S. (63%).
• A majority of Americans believe global warming is impacting U.S. weather (66%) and specific environmental problems, most notably extreme heat (77%), wildfires (74%), and droughts (73%).
• Local environmental concerns are high, with majorities worried about air pollution (75%), electricity power outages (74%), and water pollution (74%) harming their local area.
• Despite personal concern, social engagement is low; 62% of Americans rarely or never discuss global warming with family and friends.
• Consumer activism is practiced by a minority, with 31% of Americans rewarding companies that reduce global warming by buying their products and 26% punishing opposing companies by boycotting them.
• A small percentage of the population (11%) has considered relocating their home to avoid the impacts of global warming.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2024). Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2025/02/climate-change-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-fall-2024.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes. 2024. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2025/02/climate-change-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-fall-2024.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes |date=2024 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2025/02/climate-change-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-fall-2024.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2024climate, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs \& Attitudes}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2024}, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2025/02/climate-change-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-fall-2024.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }