This study was conducted by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication between April 23 and May 12, 2011. Highlights include:
- Roughly half of all Americans believe that global warming is already causing or making the following things worse in the United States: coastline erosion and flooding, droughts, hurricanes, rivers flooding, and wildfires.
- Public understanding that global warming is happening rose 3 points, to 64 percent.
- Public understanding that it is caused mostly by human activities declined three points, to 47 percent.
- Public understanding that most scientists think global warming is happening rose 5 points, to 39 percent.
- Trust in scientists and federal agencies remains high.
Interview dates: April 23, 2011 – May 12, 2011
Interviews: 1,010 Adults (18+)
Margin of error: +/- 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
NOTE: All results show percentages among all respondents, unless otherwise labeled. Totals may
occasionally sum to more than 100 percent due to rounding.
This study was conducted by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George
Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, and was funded by the Surdna
Foundation, the 11th Hour Project, and the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the
Environment.
Principal Investigators:
Anthony Leiserowitz, PhD
Yale Project on Climate Change Communication
School of Forestry and 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
(707) 825-0601 [email protected]
Nicholas Smith, PhD
Yale Project on Climate Change Communication
School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University
(203) 432-1208 [email protected]
Cite as: Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., & Smith, N. (2011) Climate change in the
American Mind: Americans’ global warming beliefs and attitudes in May 2011. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Project on Climate Change Communication.
http://environment.yale.edu/climate/files/ClimateBeliefsMay2011.pdf