Climate Change in the Latino Mind

The report finds that Latinos in the U.S. are significantly more engaged with global warming than non-Latinos, showing higher levels of belief in human-caused warming, greater worry, and stronger support for climate policies. Spanish-language Latinos exhibit the highest levels of engagement. While many Latinos are willing to take political action, they face specific barriers, including a lack of outreach from organizations and fears regarding immigration authorities.

• Latinos demonstrate higher levels of belief and certainty regarding global warming than non-Latinos. 84% of Latinos believe global warming is happening, compared to 70% of non-Latinos, and 63% of Latinos are "very" or "extremely" sure of its occurrence, compared to 46% of non-Latinos.
• A significant majority of Latinos attribute global warming to human activity. 70% of Latinos believe it is mostly human caused, while only 21% attribute it to natural changes. This is higher than the 56% of non-Latinos who hold the same view.
• Latinos report higher levels of worry and perceived personal risk. 78% of Latinos are worried about global warming, with 35% being "very worried," compared to 56% of non-Latinos overall and 16% who are "very worried."
• Latinos are more likely to believe they are currently experiencing the effects of global warming. 53% of Latinos say they have personally experienced these effects, compared to 39% of non-Latinos. Additionally, 50% of Latinos believe people in the U.S. are being harmed "right now," compared to 34% of non-Latinos.
• Latinos show strong support for specific climate policies and government action. 81% support a carbon tax for fossil fuel companies, and 68% believe the U.S. should reduce greenhouse gas emissions regardless of other countries' actions. 50% support a large-scale effort to reduce global warming even if it involves large economic costs.
• While Latinos express a high willingness to take political action—such as voting for candidates based on their climate positions (60%) or signing petitions (65%)—they face significant barriers. 71% have never been contacted by a climate organization, 73% say nobody has ever asked them to contact officials, and 64% do not know which officials to contact.
• Immigration concerns act as a specific barrier to political engagement for some Spanish-language Latinos, with 37% stating they might attract unwanted attention from immigration authorities if they contacted elected officials.
• Latinos are more likely than non-Latinos to use consumer activism to influence companies. 35% have rewarded companies for climate steps by buying products, and 31% have punished companies by not buying products. 57% intend to buy products from companies taking steps to reduce global warming, compared to 35% of non-Latinos.
• The primary motivations for Latinos to reduce global warming are providing a better life for children and grandchildren (23%) and preventing the destruction of most life on the planet (23%).

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2017). Climate Change in the Latino Mind. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2017/09/Climate-Change-Latino-mind-May-2017.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Climate Change in the Latino Mind. 2017. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2017/09/Climate-Change-Latino-mind-May-2017.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Change in the Latino Mind |date=May 2017 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2017/09/Climate-Change-Latino-mind-May-2017.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2017climate, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Climate Change in the Latino Mind}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2017}, month = may, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2017/09/Climate-Change-Latino-mind-May-2017.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }