climate change in the american mind

The March 2021 report 'Climate Change in the American Mind' finds that 70% of Americans believe global warming is happening, with 57% attributing it primarily to human activity. While 64% of respondents express worry about global warming and 65% feel a personal responsibility to reduce it, social engagement remains low, with 67% rarely or never discussing the topic with family and friends. The report also highlights a gap in scientific literacy, as only 22% of Americans recognize that over 90% of climate scientists agree on human-caused warming. Perceived risks are highest for future generations (71%) and plant and animal species (71%), while 55% of Americans believe extreme weather poses a moderate to high risk to their local community over the next decade.

• 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 4 to 1 (70% vs 15%). Half of the population (50%) are 'extremely' or 'very' sure of its occurrence.
• While 57% of Americans believe global warming is mostly human-caused, there is a lack of understanding regarding the strength of the scientific consensus; only 22% are aware that more than 90% of climate scientists agree that human-caused global warming is happening.
• Public concern is high, with 64% of Americans reporting they are at least 'somewhat worried' about global warming, and 25% stating they are 'very worried.'
• Americans perceive the greatest harm from global warming to be affecting plant and animal species (71%) and future generations (71%), followed by the world's poor (68%) and people in developing countries (68%).
• Despite personal concern, social discussion of climate change is limited; 67% of Americans 'rarely' or 'never' discuss global warming with family and friends, and only 20% hear people they know talk about it at least once a month.
• There is a notable gap between personal responsibility and perceived social norms; 65% of Americans feel a personal responsibility to help reduce global warming, but only 36% believe their family and friends make a moderate or greater effort to do so.
• A majority of Americans (54%) reject the idea that new technologies can solve global warming without requiring individuals to make significant lifestyle changes.
• Regarding local impacts, 55% of Americans believe extreme weather poses a moderate or high risk to their community over the next 10 years. The most concerning local environmental hazards are water pollution (73%) and air pollution (72%).
• 61% of Americans believe global warming is affecting weather in the United States, with 31% stating it is affecting it 'a lot.' Additionally, 65% agree that global warming has increased wildfires worldwide.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2021). climate change in the american mind. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2021/06/climate-change-american-mind-march-2021.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. climate change in the american mind. 2021. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2021/06/climate-change-american-mind-march-2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=climate change in the american mind |date=March 2021 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2021/06/climate-change-american-mind-march-2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2021climate, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{climate change in the american mind}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2021/06/climate-change-american-mind-march-2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }