Climate Change in the American Mind: October 2014

Executive Summary

• Today, two thirds of Americans think global warming is happening (66%, up 3 percentage points since November, 2013), whereas only about one in six think it is not happening (16%, down 7 points).
• The public’s understanding of what is causing global warming, however, is largely at odds with climate science. Currently, only half of Americans (50%) think that global warming, if it is happening, is mostly caused by human activities. By contrast, several recent studies have found that almost all climate scientists active in the field (e.g., 97%, according to Cook et al., 2013) have concluded that human caused global warming is happening.
• Just over half of Americans (55%) say they are at least “somewhat worried” about global warming, but only 11% say they are “very worried” about it. Even as the impacts of global warming have increased over time, public worry has remained relatively steady, changing little over the past four years.
• According to the 2014 U.S. National Climate Assessment and other sources, the impacts of global warming are starting to be felt in the United States. Yet only one in three Americans (33%) thinks people in the U.S. are being harmed “right now” by global warming, a number that has remained steady for the past several years.
• Americans are also less likely to believe global warming will cause a “great deal” or “moderate amount” of harm to them personally (36%) than to their family (42%), people in their community (43%), people in the U.S. (53%), people in other industrialized countries (53%), people in developing countries (55%), plant or animal species (64%), or future generations of people (64%).
• Americans think both the private and public sectors should be doing more to address global warming. Majorities say corporations and industry (67%) and citizens themselves (63%) should be doing “much more” or “more” to address it.

• Half or more also believe federal, state, and local governments should be doing more:
  • The U.S. Congress (57%)
  • My member of Congress (54%)
  • My local government officials (53%)
  • My governor (53%)
  • President Obama (51%)

• Americans support a broad range of policies that would help reduce or respond to global warming. For example, solid majorities “strongly” or “somewhat” support the following:
  • Increased funding for improvements to local roads, bridges, and buildings to make them more resistant to extreme weather (83%)
  • Funding more research into renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power (77%)
  • Providing tax rebates to people who purchase energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels (77%)
  • Regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant (75%)
  • Setting strict carbon dioxide emission limits on existing coal-fired power plants to reduce global warming and improve public health, where (a) power plants would have to reduce their emissions and/or invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency and (b) the cost of electricity to consumers and companies would likely increase (67%)
  • Requiring electric utilities to produce at least 20% of their electricity from wind, solar, or other renewable energy sources, even if it costs the average household an extra $100 a year (62%)
• About one in five Americans (22%) say they are currently part of – or would “definitely” or “probably” be willing to join – a campaign to convince elected officials to take action to reduce global warming.

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This report is based on findings from a nationally representative survey – Climate Change in the American Mind – conducted by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. Interview dates: October 17-28, 2014. Interviews: 1,275 Adults (18+). Average margin of error: +/- 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The research was funded by the 11th Hour Project, the Energy Foundation, the Grantham Foundation, and the V.K. Rasmussen Foundation.

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Principal Investigators:

Anthony Leiserowitz, PhD
Yale Project on Climate Change Communication
School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Yale University
(203) 432-4865
[email protected]

Edward Maibach, MPH, PhD
Center for Climate Change Communication
Department of Communication
George Mason University
(703) 993-1587
[email protected]

Connie Roser-Renouf, PhD
Center for Climate Change Communication
Department of Communication
George Mason University
[email protected]

Geoff Feinberg
Yale Project on Climate Change Communication
School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Yale University
(203) 432-7438
[email protected]

Seth Rosenthal, PhD
Yale Project on Climate Change Communication
School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Yale University
[email protected]

Jennifer Marlon, PhD
Yale Project on Climate Change Communication
School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Yale University
[email protected]

Cite as: Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., Feinberg, G., Rosenthal, S., & Marlon, J. (2014)
Climate change in the American mind: October, 2014. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Project on Climate Change Communication.