Climate Change in the American Mind

The report documents an upward trend in American concern about global warming, with 73% believing it is happening and 69% feeling at least somewhat worried. While 62% recognize it as mostly human-caused and 57% acknowledge scientific consensus, only 20% understand that over 90% of climate scientists agree on human-caused warming. Personal experience of effects has risen to 46%, and 48% believe people in the U.S. are being harmed 'right now'. Despite these trends, fewer than half of Americans perceive social norms encouraging action, and 59% rarely or never discuss the issue with family and friends.

• A majority of Americans believe global warming is occurring, with 73% thinking it is happening, the highest level since 2008. This represents a ten percentage point increase since March 2015.
• Certainty regarding global warming is increasing; 51% of Americans are 'extremely' or 'very' sure it is happening, matching the highest level since 2008. Conversely, only 7% are 'extremely' or 'very sure' it is not happening.
• While 62% of Americans believe global warming is mostly human-caused, there is a significant gap in understanding the strength of scientific consensus. Only 20% of Americans understand that more than 90% of climate scientists have concluded that human-caused global warming is happening.
• Public worry about global warming has reached its highest level since 2008, with 69% of Americans reporting they are at least 'somewhat worried' and 29% reporting they are 'very worried'.
• Perceptions of personal and national harm are increasing. 46% of Americans say they have personally experienced the effects of global warming, and 48% believe people in the United States are being harmed 'right now'.
• Americans perceive the greatest harm from global warming to be affecting future generations (75%) and plant and animal species (74%).
• Despite increased personal importance (72%), social engagement remains limited. 59% of Americans say they 'rarely' or 'never' discuss global warming with family and friends, and only 40% perceive a descriptive norm where family and friends make a moderate or greater effort to reduce global warming.
• A majority of Americans (65%) believe global warming is affecting weather in the United States. Specifically, 50% believe it made 2018 wildfires in the Western U.S. worse, and 49% believe it made hurricanes Florence and Michael worse.
• Local concerns are dominated by extreme heat (61%) and flooding (61%), with 58% worried about droughts and 51% worried about water shortages in their local area.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2018). Climate Change in the American Mind. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2019/01/Climate-Change-American-Mind-December-2018.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Climate Change in the American Mind. 2018. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2019/01/Climate-Change-American-Mind-December-2018.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Change in the American Mind |date=December 2018 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2019/01/Climate-Change-American-Mind-December-2018.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2018climate, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Climate Change in the American Mind}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2018}, month = dec, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2019/01/Climate-Change-American-Mind-December-2018.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }