Climate Activism: Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors

The report finds that while 53% of Americans support climate activists, only 33% believe citizen advocacy actually influences elected officials' policy decisions. There is a significant gap between willingness and action: 51% would vote for a candidate based on their global warming position if asked by a respected peer, but only 11% actually contacted an official in the past year. Trust in public figures varies, with Bill Nye and Greta Thunberg being among the most trusted sources of information. Political affiliation strongly correlates with support and participation, with Democrats showing the highest levels of activism and efficacy.

• A majority of Americans (53%) support climate activists who urge elected officials to take action to reduce global warming, though this support is heavily split by party: 84% of Democrats, 50% of Independents, and 23% of Republicans.
• There is low confidence in the efficacy of citizen advocacy, with only 33% of registered voters believing that actions such as rallies, marches, and petitions influence elected officials' decisions on global warming policies.
• Americans feel more capable of influencing local entities than national ones; 50% are confident they can affect local businesses and 48% local government, compared to only 35% for the federal government.
• While many Americans express a willingness to take political action if prompted by someone they respect—such as signing a petition (55%) or voting for a candidate (51%)—actual engagement is low, with only 11% having contacted an elected official in the previous 12 months.
• Americans significantly overestimate the prevalence of climate activism; while only 11% of adults actually contacted elected officials in the past year, the average estimate among the public is that 28% did so.
• Consumer activism is practiced by roughly one-third of the population, with 32% buying products from companies taking steps to reduce global warming and 27% boycotting companies that oppose such steps.
• Public figures vary in their perceived reliability as information sources; Bill Nye "The Science Guy" is the most trusted (76% of those familiar), followed by Greta Thunberg (67%) and Pope Francis (64%).
• Greta Thunberg and Bill Nye are the most influential public figures for mobilizing action, with 43% and 42% of familiar respondents, respectively, stating they would join a campaign if asked by them.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2019). Climate Activism: Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2020/02/global-warming-activism-november-2019.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Climate Activism: Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors. 2019. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2020/02/global-warming-activism-november-2019.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Activism: Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors |date=November 2019 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2020/02/global-warming-activism-november-2019.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2019climate, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Climate Activism: Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2020/02/global-warming-activism-november-2019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }