Search Climate Insights Directory
294 documents from Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
Climate migration needs personal stories
The text examines the link between climate change and mass migration from Central America's Northern Triangle to the U.S., highlighting how droughts and crop failures drive food insecurity and displacement. It asserts that personal narratives are more effective than data alone in shifting public perception and overcoming climate skepticism. The author calls for the U.S. government to integrate climate change into national security and immigration policies and urges communicators to use human-centric storytelling to justify international climate funding and compassionate treatment of migrants.
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Document type: Statement
Climate Activism: A Six Americas Analysis
The report analyzes climate activism in the U.S. using the 'Six Americas' framework, finding that while many Americans—particularly those in the 'Alarmed' segment—express a willingness to participate in climate campaigns and political actions, actual participation rates remain low. Consumer activism, such as rewarding or punishing companies based on their climate records, is more common than direct political advocacy. The study also notes a trend toward increased alarm regarding global warming over a five-year period and highlights that perceived collective efficacy is higher for local than for national decision-makers.
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Document type: Report
Climate Change in the American Mind
The December 2020 survey reveals that 72% of Americans believe global warming is happening, with 58% attributing it to human activity. While 66% express worry and 65% feel a personal responsibility to help, social engagement remains low, as 62% rarely or never discuss the issue with family and friends. The report also highlights a gap in scientific literacy, with only 20% aware that over 90% of climate scientists agree on human-caused warming. Americans primarily view global warming as an environmental (80%) and scientific (73%) issue, and a majority believe it is already harming people in the U.S. and affecting national weather.
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Document type: Report
Engaging Global Warming's Six Americas
The document identifies six distinct audience segments in the U.S. population—Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive—based on their level of concern and engagement with climate change. It argues that effective communication requires tailoring messages to these groups' specific psychological and cultural profiles. For highly involved groups (Alarmed, Concerned), the paper suggests focusing on efficacy and opinion leadership. For low-involvement groups (Cautious, Disengaged), it recommends non-effortful strategies like narratives and social norms. For skeptical groups (Doubtful, Dismissive), it advises non-confrontational framing aligned with conservative values, such as patriotism and free-market solutions, to avoid the 'boomerang effect' of motivated reasoning.
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Document type: Research paper
Politics & Global Warming
A December 2020 survey of 949 registered U.S. voters reveals broad support for clean energy development and various climate policies, though significant partisan divides remain regarding the urgency of global warming and specific regulatory measures. While majorities support transitioning to 100% clean energy by 2050 and participating in the Paris Climate Agreement, support for fossil fuel expansion remains higher among Republicans. The report also highlights a general consensus on the importance of infrastructure investment and climate education in schools.
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Document type: Report
Shifting Views of an Ideal Society in the U.S.
The report finds a growing divide in cultural worldviews between U.S. Democrats and Republicans. Since 2008, Democrats, particularly liberal Democrats, have become more egalitarian and less individualistic, increasing their support for government-guaranteed basic needs and wealth redistribution. In contrast, Republicans have remained highly individualistic, favoring individual liberty and opposing government intervention. This divergence suggests that building a bipartisan consensus on climate change is becoming more difficult as the two parties hold increasingly opposite views on the role of government in solving societal problems.
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Document type: Report
New study: Building support for electric vehicles
An experiment with 912 American adults found that listening to real-world stories about EV success in Norway and Greensboro, North Carolina, significantly increased participants' perceptions of EV reliability, affordability, and practicality. These stories also led to stronger support for national charging networks, electric buses, and tax rebates, suggesting that narrative-based communication is an effective tool for accelerating the transition to electric vehicles.
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Document type: Research paper
Global Warming’s Six Americas in 2020
The report identifies six segments of the U.S. adult population based on climate change attitudes: Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive. As of 2020, 54% of Americans are either Alarmed or Concerned, while the Alarmed group has more than doubled in size over five years. Despite this growth, many in the Concerned and Cautious groups still perceive climate change as a future problem rather than a current threat.
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Document type: Report
Black Lives Matter in the Climate Movement
The document asserts that Black Americans are disproportionately affected by climate change and environmental hazards, noting a historical lack of attention to environmental racism in the mainstream environmental movement. It highlights a significant funding disparity, where environmental justice non-profits receive only slightly more than one percent of the funding awarded to environmental non-profits by 12 national foundations. The author calls for the climate movement to dismantle structural racism by allocating more resources to organizations led by Black individuals and prioritizing diversity and inclusion within advocacy spaces.
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Document type: Statement
Does climate change increase risk of conflict?
The research paper examines the relationship between climate change and global instability, asserting that while climate change may not cause conflict in isolation, it intensifies problems like food and water insecurity, economic loss, and ethnic tensions. It highlights that the risk of conflict is heavily dependent on regional sociopolitical contexts, such as government corruption and historical grievances. The document also notes a correlation in the U.S. between residents of disaster-prone areas and higher levels of concern regarding climate change, suggesting that these insights should inform government policies on mitigation and conflict prevention.
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Document type: Research paper
How does the American public perceive climate disasters?
Based on 2018 and 2019 survey data, the study finds that 64% of Americans believe global warming affects U.S. weather. Risk perceptions are heavily influenced by local geography, with residents in the West fearing droughts and wildfires, those in the Midwest fearing flooding, and those in the East and Southeast fearing hurricanes. While 56% of Americans view extreme weather as a high or moderate risk to their community over the next decade, the specific concerns vary by state, often reflecting local experiences with 'Billion Dollar Disaster Events'.
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Document type: Research paper
Exploring Gender Differences in the American Diet
The document examines the relationship between gender and climate-related food choices in the US, finding that women generally have higher risk perceptions and a greater willingness to adopt plant-based diets and reduce food waste than men, though they also report more uncertainty regarding specific dietary impacts on global warming.
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Document type: Research paper
Do Americans support voting by mail to limit the spread of coronavirus infections?
A survey conducted in April 2020 found that 78% of Americans nationally support ensuring all citizens can vote by mail to limit COVID-19 infections. Support remained high across the United States, with more than three quarters of the public supporting the measure in 46 states. The lowest levels of support were found in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi, while the highest were in states that already utilized vote-by-mail systems, such as Hawaii, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and California.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Who do Americans trust most for information about COVID-19?
The study finds that a vast majority of Americans across all 50 states trust their own doctors, infectious disease experts, the CDC, and family and friends for COVID-19 information. While trust in media and government varies—with local TV and local/state officials being more trusted than national networks and federal figures—there is very little geographic variation in these trust levels, with a maximum range of 4 percentage points across states.
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Document type: Research paper
Young Adults & Climate Activism
The document analyzes a November 2019 survey of 1,303 U.S. adults to compare climate activism across generations. It finds that Millennials and younger adults (aged 18-38) are more likely than Generation X and Baby Boomers to support climate activists, engage in political action, and believe in collective efficacy. These trends are observed across political lines, with notable shifts among younger Republicans who are more likely than older Republicans to support climate activism and accept that climate change is human-caused.
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Document type: Research paper
Race and Climate Change
The report finds that Hispanics/Latinos and African Americans in the U.S. are more likely to be 'Alarmed' or 'Concerned' about global warming and more willing to engage in climate activism than Whites. While a majority of Hispanics/Latinos view global warming as 'very important' to their 2020 vote, it ranks lower in priority for African Americans. The analysis suggests these differences are partly driven by higher exposure to environmental hazards and differences in political party identification.
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Document type: Research paper
American Public Responses to COVID-19
The report finds that a large majority of Americans prioritize public health over economic recovery, trust medical experts and local news, and have adopted protective behaviors such as handwashing and social distancing. However, significant gaps remain in knowledge regarding certain false claims, and there is a widespread desire for more information and increased action from government leaders and citizens.
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Document type: Report
Americans’ Risk Perceptions and Emotional Responses to COVID-19
A scientific national survey of 3,933 adults conducted in April 2020 reveals that approximately 70% of Americans experienced daily life disruptions due to COVID-19. While majorities feel compassion (64%) and hope (54%), there is widespread worry regarding the healthcare system (85%) and the economy (84%). Risk perceptions are highest for vulnerable populations, such as adults aged 65+ and those with chronic health conditions, while fewer individuals perceive the virus as a great deal of personal harm.
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Document type: Report
Climate Change in the American Mind
The April 2020 survey indicates that public engagement with climate change in the U.S. remains at historic highs, with 73% of Americans believing global warming is happening and 62% attributing it to human causes. Despite high levels of personal concern and a sense of responsibility, social norms for action remain weak, and most Americans rarely discuss the issue with family and friends. The report also highlights a significant gap in understanding the strength of the scientific consensus, with only 21% recognizing that over 90% of climate scientists agree on human-caused warming.
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Document type: Report
Politics & Global Warming
The report finds that 75% of registered U.S. voters believe global warming is happening, with strong bipartisan support for renewable energy research and the Paris Climate Agreement. However, significant polarization remains regarding the causes of global warming and the Green New Deal, with Democrats viewing climate change as a much higher voting priority than Republicans.
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Document type: Report