Major sources of public opinion data
about climate change
“A poll conducted last summer by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) found that a growing number of Americans describe climate change as a crisis, and two-thirds said Trump is doing too little to tackle the problem. The poll found that about 8 in 10 Americans say human activity is fueling climate change, and roughly half believe action is urgently needed to avert its worst effects.... The Post-KFF poll asked for a yes-no response to the statement: “Human activity is or is not causing changes to the world’s climate, including an increase in the average temperature.””
Pew Research Center. The latest survey was fielded amid growing concern in the U.S. about the outbreak of the coronavirus. Respondents who took the survey in the latter part of the month – after the March 13 declaration of a national emergency due to the virus – were about equally concerned about climate change as those interviewed earlier in the month.
“Voters Really Care About Climate Change” in The Atlantic Feb. 21, 2020: For Democrats, climate change is now one of the two most important issues in politics, according to a new poll.
Executive Summary
About seven in ten Americans (72%) think global warming is happening. Only about one in eight Americans (12%) think global warming is not happening. Americans who think global warming is happening outnumber those who think it isn’t by a 6 to 1 ratio.
More than half of Americans (55%) understand that most scientists think global warming is happening. However, only about one in five (22%) understand how strong the level of consensus among scientists is (i.e., that more than 90% of climate scientists think human-caused global warming is happening).
Two in three Americans (66%) say they are at least “somewhat worried” about global warming. Three in ten (30%) are “very worried” about it.
About six in ten Americans (59%) say they “rarely” or “never” discuss global warming with family and friends, while 41% say they do so “occasionally” or “often.”
More than half of Americans (56%) say they hear about global warming in the media at least once a month and more than four in ten (44%) say they have seen more media coverage of global warming over the past year. Fewer (24%) say they hear people they know talking about global warming at least once a month.
Americans Underestimate How Many Others in the U.S. Think Global Warming is Happening.
People tend to misjudge what the beliefs and actions of others actually are – a phenomenon known as pluralistic ignorance. The Yale/GMU April 2019 national survey found that the American public underestimates how many other Americans think global warming is happening (i.e., they underestimate the social consensus on global warming). Americans on average estimate that only 54% of other Americans think global warming is happening, when in fact, 69% of Americans do. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/americans-underestimate-how-many-others-in-the-u-s-think-global-warming-is-happening
“Large changes in public opinion are occurring among Americans across the political spectrum. For example, the 16-point increase in the proportion of Americans who are worried about global warming is largely the result of increased worry among moderate/conservative Democrats (+19) and conservative Republicans (+18). — Anthony Leiserowitz, presenting Climate Change in the American Mind¹ on Feb. 21, 2019”
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication WITH THE George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication
HIGHLIGHTS (of many):
Climate Opinion Maps 2018: “These maps show how Americans’ climate change beliefs, risk perceptions, and policy support vary at the state, congressional district, metro area, and county levels.”
Climate Change in the American Mind, a multi-year survey.
“Our prior research has categorized Americans into six groups – Global Warming’s Six Americas – based on their climate change beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. The “Alarmed” are the most worried about global warming and most supportive of aggressive action to reduce carbon pollution. In contrast, the “Dismissive” do not believe global warming is happening or human-caused and strongly oppose climate action. [A short “Six Americas” quiz is now publicly available online.]
Our latest survey in December 2018 finds that the Alarmed segment is at an all-time high (29%) – which is double that segment’s size in 2013 and an 8-point increase since March 2018. Conversely, the Dismissive (9%) and Doubtful (9%) segments have both decreased over the last five years. The percentage of Americans in these two segments has declined by 12 points since 2013.” Explore here.
Climate Chat produces an excellent monthly Research Roundup.
Climate Leadership Council: founders include Ray Dalio, Christiana Figures, Stephen Hawking, Paul Polman, and Christine Todd Whitman. Polling data updated regularly.
Pew Research Center. Feb. 10, 2019: “Climate Change Still Seen as the Top Global Threat, but Cyberattacks a Rising Concern. “People around the world agree that climate change poses a severe risk to their countries, according to a 26-nation survey conducted in spring 2018. Terrorism, specifically from ISIS, and cyberattacks are also seen by many as major security threats.”
“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report last year expressing serious concerns about the possible impacts of climate change, both in the near and distant future. Broadly speaking, people around the world agree that climate change poses a severe risk to their countries, according to a 26-nation survey conducted in the spring of 2018. In 13 of these countries, people name climate change as the top international threat.”
Wall Street Journal/NBC News
A December Wall Street Journal/NBC News national poll showed that 66% of Americans believe that action is needed to address climate change, with 45% calling for immediate action.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, UNIV. CHICAGO
November, 2018, Conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research With funding from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.
“Is the Public Willing to Pay to Help Fix Climate Change?”
Answer: yes and no.
Excerpt: “Americans who accept that climate change is happening want the government to address it. Forty-four percent support and 29 percent oppose a policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by taxing the use of carbon-based fuels based on how much they contribute to climate change, irrespective of how the funds would be used. Twenty-five percent say they neither support nor oppose a carbon tax.
Two-thirds support a carbon tax if the proceeds were used for environmental restoration and more than half support it if the funds were used towards research and development for renewable energy programs and public transportation.
To combat climate change, 57 percent of Americans are willing to pay a $1 monthly fee; 23 percent are willing to pay a monthly fee of $40. Party identification and acceptance of climate change are the main determining factors of whether or not people are willing to pay, with Democrats being consistently more inclined to pay a fee.”