climate change in the american mind

The November 2019 survey indicates that 72% of Americans believe global warming is happening, with 59% attributing it to human activities. While 66% express worry and 64% believe it affects U.S. weather, social engagement remains low, as 59% rarely or never discuss the topic with family and friends. There is a notable gap in understanding scientific consensus, with only 22% aware that over 90% of climate scientists agree on human-caused warming.

• A significant majority of Americans believe global warming is occurring, with 72% stating it is happening and 52% feeling "extremely" or "very" sure of this fact.
• While 59% of Americans believe global warming is primarily caused by human activities, there is a lack of awareness regarding the strength of scientific consensus; only 22% recognize that more than 90% of climate scientists agree that human-caused global warming is happening.
• Emotional responses are characterized by worry and interest, with 66% of Americans reporting they are at least "somewhat worried" and 64% feeling "very" or "moderately" "interested" in the issue.
• Perceptions of risk are high for others and the environment but lower for individuals; 73% believe plant and animal species will be harmed, while only 43% believe they will be personally harmed.
• Social engagement with the topic is limited, as 59% of Americans rarely or never discuss global warming with family and friends, and only 24% hear people they know talking about it at least once a month.
• Public perception of social norms for climate action is low, with only 43% perceiving an injunctive norm (family/friends expecting action) and 40% perceiving a descriptive norm (family/friends actually taking action).
• Americans maintain a level of optimism regarding solutions, with 66% disagreeing that it is too late to act and 48% believing new technologies can solve the problem without requiring major lifestyle changes.
• There is a strong link between global warming and perceived weather impacts in the U.S., with 64% believing it affects U.S. weather and 56% viewing extreme weather as a risk to their community over the next 10 years.
• Americans identified specific 2019 events as being worsened by global warming, most notably the melting of Greenland ice sheets (64%), European heat waves (55%), and California wildfires (50%).

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2019). climate change in the american mind. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2019/12/Climate_Change_American_Mind_November_2019b.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. climate change in the american mind. 2019. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2019/12/Climate_Change_American_Mind_November_2019b.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=climate change in the american mind |date=November 2019 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2019/12/Climate_Change_American_Mind_November_2019b.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2019climate, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{climate change in the american mind}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2019/12/Climate_Change_American_Mind_November_2019b.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }