And six out of ten believe it to be caused by human activities, a survey by Yale University reveals
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A new survey conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication has revealed the attitudes and beliefs that Americans hold toward global warming.
The proportion of Americans who believe global warming is happening (73 per cent) vastly outpaces those who don’t (14 per cent) – and most (64 per cent) are ‘somewhat worried’ about global warming. This figure includes 28 per cent who are ‘very worried’.
Sixty per cent of Americans understand that global warming is primarily caused by human activities; in contrast, 28 per cent think natural environmental changes are responsible for it.
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How do Americans think global warming will impact the world?
The survey also uncovered how Americans perceive the risks and impacts of global warming, from changing weather patterns to ecological shifts. Almost half (48 per cent) of respondents think the US population is currently being harmed by global warming, while 49 per cent say they have experienced its effects first-hand.
The majority of respondents think global warming will harm plant and animal species (70 per cent), the world’s poor (68 per cent), people in developed countries (68 per cent), those in the US (63 per cent), people in their community (53 per cent) and their family (51 per cent). Forty-six per cent believe global warming will harm them personally.
Extreme weather is another key concern for many Americans: 56 per cent believe it poses either a high or moderate risk to their community within the next decade.
Air pollution is the top environmental issue Americans are concerned will impact their local area, with 75 per cent expressing worries about its effects. Other major environmental concerns include electricity power outages (74 per cent), water pollution (74 per cent), drought (70 per cent), extreme heat (69 per cent) and agricultural pests and diseases (66 per cent).
As a measure to mitigate the impacts of global warming, 11 per cent of Americans have reported considering relocation.
Consumer activism is also emerging as a way for Americans to translate their opinions on global warming into actionable changes in their habits. In the last 12 months, around three in ten Americans say they have ‘rewarded companies’ at least once by purchasing products from those taking steps to reduce global warming.
Conversely, around 26 per cent have – at least once in the last 12 months – ‘punished companies’ with planet-harming practices by not buying their products.
Who is talking about global warming?
The Yale survey also examined the types of conversations – if any – that Americans are having with their family and friends about global warming. Sixty-two per cent of Americans reported ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ discussing the issue, while 38 per cent said they talk about it ‘occasionally’ or ‘often’.
For almost half of Americans (47 per cent), global warming features in the media they consume at least once a month (defined as TV, movies, radio, newspapers, websites, magazines, etc) – but fewer (27 per cent) report hearing about it on social media once a month or more. Eight per cent of Americans report never hearing about global warming in the media.
The figures are even lower for real-life discussions: just 20 per cent report hearing people they know talk about global warming once a month or more.
