Climate Change in the American Mind: Public Perceptions of the Health Harms of Global Warming

A 2024 survey of 1,013 American adults reveals an increase in the perception that global warming harms public health, with specific concerns rising for heat stroke, air pollution, and respiratory diseases. While 39% believe global warming harms the health of Americans, only 16% feel it harms their own health. Public awareness of disproportionate impacts on low-income people and people of color has grown since 2014. Regarding energy, coal and nuclear power are viewed as the most harmful to health, while trust in first responders and primary care physicians as information sources is high.

• Public perception that global warming is currently harming the health of Americans has increased by 8 percentage points since 2014, with 39% of respondents believing it harms health a "great deal" or "moderate amount." However, personal perception is lower, with only 16% believing their own health is being harmed to a similar degree.
• Americans are increasingly likely to anticipate specific health harms in their communities over the next decade if global warming is not addressed. The most anticipated harms include heat stroke (45%), air pollution (44%), asthma and/or other lung diseases (43%), and pollen-related allergies (41%).
• There is a growing understanding that certain populations are more vulnerable to the health effects of global warming. 47% of Americans recognize that some groups are more likely than others to experience these harms, an increase of 13 points since 2014. The most commonly identified vulnerable groups are low-income people (18%), older adults (7%), people with health conditions (6%), and people of color (6%).
• Perceptions of the health harms of energy sources vary significantly: 65% of Americans view coal as harmful to health and 53% view nuclear energy as harmful. Natural gas (38%), wind (15%), and solar power (12%) are viewed as harmful by smaller proportions of the population, though these figures have increased since 2018.
• Americans identify first responders and primary care physicians as the most trusted sources of information regarding the health harms of global warming, both at 60%. Other highly trusted sources include climate scientists (50%), the CDC (48%), and the American Medical Association (47%).
• A significant portion of the public believes institutional action should increase to protect health. 39% think federal agencies—specifically the CDC, NIH, and FEMA—should do more, and 24% believe health professionals such as doctors and nurses should do more.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2024). Climate Change in the American Mind: Public Perceptions of the Health Harms of Global Warming. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2025/02/climate-change-american-mind-health-fall-2024.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Climate Change in the American Mind: Public Perceptions of the Health Harms of Global Warming. 2024. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2025/02/climate-change-american-mind-health-fall-2024.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Change in the American Mind: Public Perceptions of the Health Harms of Global Warming |date=2024 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2025/02/climate-change-american-mind-health-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: Public Perceptions of the Health Harms of Global Warming}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2024}, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2025/02/climate-change-american-mind-health-fall-2024.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }