Climate Change in the American Mind

The March 2018 report 'Climate Change in the American Mind' reveals an upward trend in American concern about global warming. 70% of adults believe global warming is happening, and 58% attribute it primarily to human activities. While 62% express worry and 41% report personally experiencing its effects, only 6% believe humans can and will successfully reduce it. The issue is most commonly conceptualized as an environmental (74%) and scientific (68%) challenge, with the primary motivation for reduction being to provide a better life for future generations.

• Seven in ten Americans (70%) believe global warming is happening, representing a seven percentage point increase since March 2015. Certainty is also rising, with 49% of respondents being "extremely" or "very" sure it is occurring.
• A majority of Americans (58%) believe global warming is primarily caused by human activities, while 28% attribute it to natural environmental changes. However, there is a significant gap in understanding scientific consensus; only 15% of Americans know that more than 90% of climate scientists conclude human-caused global warming is happening.
• Emotional responses are varied, with 62% of Americans feeling "interested" in global warming. Negative emotions are also prevalent, with 47% feeling "disgusted" and 45% feeling "helpless".
• Perceptions of risk are increasing, with 41% of Americans stating they have personally experienced the effects of global warming, a 10 percentage point increase since March 2015. Additionally, 39% believe people in the United States are being harmed by global warming "right now".
• Social engagement remains relatively low; only 35% of Americans discuss global warming with family and friends "often" or "occasionally". Common barriers to discussion include the topic never coming up in conversation (35%) or existing agreement among the group (33%).
• Optimism regarding the ability to reduce global warming is very low. Only 6% of Americans believe humans can and will successfully reduce it, while 49% believe reduction is possible but are uncertain if necessary actions will be taken.
• The primary motivation for wanting to reduce global warming is intergenerational, with 24% of Americans citing the desire to provide a better life for children and grandchildren as the most important reason.
• Americans conceptualize global warming across multiple dimensions, most strongly as an environmental (74%) and scientific (68%) issue. Other majority views include it being an agricultural (62%), severe weather (61%), health (60%), political (58%), and economic (57%) issue.
• There is significant concern regarding local extreme weather events, with majorities worried about extreme heat (64%), droughts (61%), flooding (60%), and water shortages (52%).

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2018). Climate Change in the American Mind. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2018/04/Climate-Change-American-Mind-March-2018-1.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Climate Change in the American Mind. 2018. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2018/04/Climate-Change-American-Mind-March-2018-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Change in the American Mind |date=March 2018 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2018/04/Climate-Change-American-Mind-March-2018-1.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 = mar, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2018/04/Climate-Change-American-Mind-March-2018-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }