Content uploaded by Connie Roser-Renouf
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Connie Roser-Renouf on Jan 10, 2014
Content may be subject to copyright.
global warming’s
six americas 2009:
An Audience Segmentation Analysis
global warming’s
six americas 2009:
An Audience Segmentation Analysis
This study was conducted by the Yale Project on Climate Change and the George Mason
University Center for Climate Change Communication.
Principal Investigators:
Edward Maibach, MPH, PhD
Center for Climate Change Communication
Department of Communication, George Mason University
(703) 993-1587
emaibach@gmu.edu
Connie Roser-Renouf, PhD
Center for Climate Change Communication
Department of Communication, George Mason University
(707) 825-0601
croserre@gmu.edu
Anthony Leiserowitz, PhD
Yale Project on Climate Change
School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Yale University
(203) 432-4865
anthony.leiserowitz@yale.edu
June 19, 2009
A project of this size, scope, and duration requires the hard work and commitment of many peo-
ple. We would especially like to thank C.K. Mertz of Decision Research; Russell Shaddox of Quick-
silver Communication; Karen Akerlof and Carol Jeter of the George Mason University Center for
Climate Change Communication; Joe Garrett, Bill McCready and Sergei Rodkin of Knowledge
Networks; Dan Esty and Melissa Goodall of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy;
Andrew Light of the Center for Global Ethics at George Mason University, Gus Speth, Dean of the
Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; Lisa Fernandez of the Yale Project on Climate
Change; Tim Northrop and Eugenie Gentry of the Yale School of F&ES Development Office; the
Center for American Progress; and Bud Ward of the Yale Forum on Climate Change & the Media.
Finally, we thank our families for their love and support.
We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to the generous funders who made this research
possible: The Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy; the Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation;
the 11th Hour Project; the Pacific Foundation; and an RWJF Investigator Award in Health Policy
Research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
acknowledgments
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Figure 1: Proportion of the U.S. adult population in the Six Americas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
How the Six Americas Differ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Beliefs and Issue Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Figure 2: Certainty of belief in the reality of global warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 3: Personal importance of global warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 4: Worry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Figure 5: Attitudinal certainty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Figure 6: Amount of thought about global warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Figure 7: Self-assessed knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Figure 8: Beliefs regarding the causes of global warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 9: Beliefs about the scientific consensus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 10: Personal threat of global warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 11: Threat to future generations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Figure 12: Timing of harm to people in the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Expected Outcomes from Action to Reduce Global Warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Figure 13: Expected outcome of human action to reduce global warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Figure 14: Number of positive outcomes expected from national action to reduce
global warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Figure 15: Number of negative outcomes expected from national action to reduce
global warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Figure 16: Expected effectiveness of one’s own actions, if adopted by most people in
industrialized nations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Policy and National Response Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Figure 17: National issue priority of global warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Figure 18: Support for signing an international treaty to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Figure 19: Support for regulation of CO2 as a pollutant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Figure 20: Support for requiring automakers to increase fuel efficiency to 45 mpg . . . . . . . . 18
Figure 21: Support for providing rebates for purchases of solar panels and
fuel-efficient vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Figure 22: Support for a cap and trade policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
contents
Personal Actions and Intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Figure 23: Proportion who have contacted elected officials to urge action on
global warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Figure 24: Proportion who have rewarded companies that support action to reduce
global warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Figure 25: Proportion intending to engage in consumer activism over coming year . . . . . . . 22
Figure 26: Number of energy efficiency improvements made to home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Figure 27: Number of habitual conservation actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Figure 28: Giving and receiving information on global warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Demographics, Social Characteristics and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Figure 29: Party identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Figure 30: Civic engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Figure 31: Egalitarian values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Figure 32: Environment vs. the economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Figure 33: Proportion “born again” or evangelical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Media Use and Information Seeking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Figure 34: Attention to global warming information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Figure 35: Trust in scientists as sources of global warming information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Figure 36: Trust in the mainstream news media as sources of global warming information . 29
Audience Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
The Alarmed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Beliefs and Issue Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Outcomes Expected from National Action to Reduce Global Warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Beliefs about Potential Outcomes and the Effectiveness of Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Policy and National Response Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Personal Actions and Intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Demographics, Social Characteristics and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Media Use and Information Seeking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
The Concerned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Beliefs and Issue Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Outcomes Expected from National Action to Reduce Global Warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Beliefs about Potential Outcomes and the Effectiveness of Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Policy and National Response Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Personal Actions and Intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Demographics, Social Characteristics and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Media Use and Information Seeking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
The Cautious . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Beliefs and Issue Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Outcomes Expected from National Action to Reduce Global Warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Beliefs about Potential Outcomes and the Effectiveness of Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Policy and National Response Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Personal Actions and Intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Demographics, Social Characteristics and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Media Use and Information Seeking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
The Disengaged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Beliefs and Issue Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Outcomes Expected from National Action to Reduce Global Warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Beliefs about Potential Outcomes and the Effectiveness of Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Policy and National Response Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Personal Actions and Intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Demographics, Social Characteristics and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Media Use and Information Seeking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
The Doubtful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Beliefs and Issue Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Outcomes Expected from National Action to Reduce Global Warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Beliefs about Potential Outcomes and the Effectiveness of Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Policy and National Response Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Personal Actions and Intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Demographics, Social Characteristics and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Media Use and Information Seeking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
The Dismissive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Beliefs and Issue Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Outcomes Expected from National Action to Reduce Global Warming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Beliefs about Potential Outcomes and the Effectiveness of Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Policy and National Response Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Personal Actions and Intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Demographics, Social Characteristics and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Media Use and Information Seeking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Appendix I: Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Appendix II: Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
an audience segmentation analysis 1
One of the first rules of effective communication is to “know thy audience.” Climate change public
communication and engagement efforts must start with the fundamental recognition that people
are different and have different psychological, cultural, and political reasons for acting – or not act-
ing – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This report identifies Global Warming’s Six Americas: six
unique audiences within the American public that each responds to the issue in their own distinct way.
The six audiences were identified using a large nationally representative survey of American adults
conducted in the fall of 2008. The survey questionnaire included extensive, in-depth measures of
the public’s climate change beliefs, attitudes, risk perceptions, motivations, values, policy prefer-
ences, behaviors, and underlying barriers to action. The Six Americas are distinguishable on all
these dimensions, and display very different levels of engagement with the issue. They also vary in
size – ranging from as small as 7 percent to as large as 33 percent of the adult population.
The Alarmed (18%) are fully convinced of the reality and seriousness of climate change and are al-
ready taking individual, consumer, and political action to address it. The Concerned (33%) – the
largest of the six Americas – are also convinced that global warming is happening and a serious
problem, but have not yet engaged the issue personally. Three other Americas – the Cautious (19%),
the Disengaged (12%) and the Doubtful (11%) – represent different stages of understanding and ac-
ceptance of the problem, and none are actively involved. The final America – the Dismissive (7%)
– are very sure it is not happening and are actively involved as opponents of a national effort to re-
duce greenhouse gas emissions.
This report introduces these Six Americas by briefly describing each audience and highlighting how
they differ from one another; it concludes with detailed demographic, attitudinal, and behavioral
profiles of each group. This research provides essential knowledge that can be leveraged by climate
educators and communicators throughout American society, including local, state, and national
governments, academic institutions, environmental organizations, businesses, faith groups, doctors
and scientists, and the media. Successfully addressing this challenge will require a diversity of mes-
sages, messengers, and methods, each tailored to meet the needs of different target audiences. This
research provides a solid foundation, grounded in social science, to facilitate the changes required
to achieve a transition to a low-carbon future.
executive summary
2 global warming’s six americas 2009
Communication about the risks posed by climate change requires messages that motivate constructive en-
gagement and support wise policy choices, rather than engendering indifference, fear or despair.
— Howard Frumkin & Anthony McMichael (2008)
With only five percent of the world’s population, the United States produces about 25 percent of the
world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, Americans’ energy use, consumer choices, and support for
policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will largely influence the success – or failure – of global ef-
forts to limit anthropogenic climate change. Further, protecting Americans’ health and wellbeing from
the impacts of climate change will require coordinated and sustained efforts by cities, counties, states,
and the nation as a whole. Yet climate change remains a relatively low priority among the American
public, many of whom perceive it as a distant problem in both time and space, and who remain largely
unaware of the potential threat to the health and welfare of people in the United States and around
the world.
To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, avert the worst potential consequences, and prepare for the im-
pacts that can no longer be avoided, the United States and other countries must constructively en-
gage millions of people and thousands of organizations in climate change solutions. Throughout
human history, individuals and societies have mobilized to meet and overcome new challenges, but
never before has so much rested on the need to change so many so fast.
It is critical to recognize, however, that people are different, with widely diverse backgrounds, expe-
riences, knowledge, and values. There is a spectrum from those Americans who know a lot about cli-
mate change, to those who have never heard of it. Likewise, some Americans have taken personal
action to reduce their own carbon footprint, while others have not. At a deeper level, different groups
within American society emphasize different values, which strongly shape their interpretations and
preferred solutions to climate change.
Thus, the American public does not respond to climate change with a single voice – there are many
different groups that each respond to this issue in different ways. Constructively engaging each of
these groups in climate change solutions will therefore require tailored approaches. One of the first
rules of effective communication is to “know thy audience” – what they currently understand and
misunderstand about the issue; how they perceive the threat; their current and intended behaviors;
their values, beliefs and policy preferences; and the barriers to change and underlying motivations
that either constrain or can inspire their further engagement with the solutions. Only with this knowl-
edge can effective strategies be designed to help individuals and organizations make more informed
decisions, empower them to make and enact better choices, and build public support for policies that
institute systemic and structural change.
This report identifies “Global Warming’s Six Americas” – six unique audiences within the American
public that each respond to this issue in a different way. It is based upon an extensive nationally rep-
resentative survey of American adults conducted in the fall of 2008. The survey included questions
about Americans’ climate change beliefs, attitudes, policy preferences and actions, including energy ef-
ficiency and conservation behavior, consumer behavior, and political behavior. The study also meas-
overview
an audience segmentation analysis 3
ured Americans’ commitments to different social values and attitudes, civic engagement, media use,
and demographic characteristics. The topline results of this research have been published in two prior
reports.1Using statistical methods described in the appendix, the data were analyzed and used to up-
date and extend our previously published global warming audience segmentation research.2
This analysis identifies six distinct groups of American adults. These groups differ dramatically with
regard to what they believe about global warming, how engaged they are with the issue, what they
are doing about it, and what they would like to see the United States do about it. They also differ dra-
matically with regard to size: the largest segment represents 33% of the U.S. adult population, and
the smallest only 7% (Figure 1). These six audience segments describe a spectrum of concern and ac-
tion about global warming, ranging from the Alarmed (18% of the population), to the Concerned
(33%), Cautious (19%), Disengaged (12%), Doubtful (11%) and Dismissive (7%).
Overall, the Alarmed are the segment most engaged in the issue of global warming. They are very
convinced it is happening, human-caused, and a serious and urgent threat. The Alarmed are already
making changes in their own lives and support an aggressive national response.
The Concerned are also convinced that global warming is a serious problem, but while they support
a vigorous national response, they are distinctly less involved in the issue – and less likely to be tak-
ing personal action – than the Alarmed.
Highest Belief in Global Warming
Most Concerned
Most Motivated
Lowest Belief in Global Warming
Least Concerned
Least Motivated
Figure 1:Proportion of the U.S. adult population in the Six Americas
Proportion represented by area
n=2,129
A
larmed
18%
Concerned
33%
Cautious
19%
Disengaged
12%
Doubtful
11%
Dismissive
7%
1Leiserowitz A, Maibach E & Roser-Renouf C. (2009) Climate change in the American mind: Americans’ climate change beliefs, atti-
tudes, policy preferences, and actions. New Haven, CT: Yale University. Available online at: http://research.yale.edu/environment/cli-
mate. Also see: Leiserowitz A, Maibach E & Roser-Renouf C. (2009) Saving energy at home and on the road: A survey of American’s
energy saving behaviors, intentions, motivations, and barriers. New Haven, CT: Yale University. Available online at: http://re-
search.yale.edu/environment/climate.
2Leiserowitz A, Maibach E & Roser-Renouf C. (2008) Global Warming’s Six Americas: An Audience Segmentation. New Haven, CT:
Yale University. Available online at: http://research.yale.edu/environment/climate
4 global warming’s six americas 2009
The Cautious also believe that global warming is a problem, although they are less certain that it is
happening than the Alarmed or the Concerned; they don’t view it as a personal threat, and don’t feel
a sense of urgency to deal with it.
The Disengaged haven’t thought much about the issue at all, don’t know much about it, and are the
most likely to say that they could easily change their minds about global warming.
The Doubtful are evenly split among those who think global warming is happening, those who think
it isn’t, and those who don’t know. Many within this group believe that if global warming is hap-
pening, it is caused by natural changes in the environment, believe global warming won’t harm peo-
ple for many decades into the future, if at all, and say that America is already doing enough to respond
to the threat.
Finally, the Dismissive, like the Alarmed, are actively engaged in the issue, but on the opposite end
of the spectrum; the majority believe that warming is not happening, is not a threat to either people
or non-human nature, and strongly believe it is not a problem that warrants a national response.
This report first describes how these groups differ on key global warming beliefs, attitudes, policy
preferences, and behaviors. Second, each of the six audiences is profiled in depth, with individual
descriptions of their global warming beliefs and issue involvement, their expectations about the
outcomes of individual and national action to reduce global warming, their policy preferences,
demographics, social characteristics, values, media use, and information seeking behavior.
Appendix I contains detailed data tables for the audience segments, and the research methodology
is described in Appendix II. Complete text of the questions may be obtained from our websites:
http://climatechange.gmu.edu or http://research.yale.edu/environment/climate/.
an audience segmentation analysis 5
Beliefs & issue involvement
Overall, the degree of certainty that global warming is happening is one of the central characteristics
that distinguish Global Warming’s Six Americas. At one end of the spectrum are the Alarmed, who
are very certain that global warming is happening, declining steadily through groups that are highly
uncertain – the Cautious and the Disengaged – to the Dismissive, who are very sure it is not hap-
pening. This linear pattern is found across a number of measures, with the Alarmed at the high end
and the Dismissive at the low end.
A second general pattern is also apparent, however: a V-shape that reflects higher levels of involve-
ment with the issue by the two groups that disagree most (the Alarmed and Dismissive), and a lower
level of involvement among the others. The Alarmed and Dismissive both think and talk about global
warming a lot, and they both care about it, although they disagree strongly. The other segments, to
a greater or lesser degree, are less interested in the issue and give it less thought and attention.
More specifically, the segments differ as follows:
The Alarmed are the segment most convinced that global warming is happening (Figure 2; figures
begin on p. 7). Global warming is very important to them and they are very worried about it (Fig-
ures 3 and 4). The Alarmed have thought a lot about the issue, believe they are well informed about
the causes, consequences, and potential solutions, and are highly unlikely to change their minds
(Figures 5, 6, and 7). The Alarmed believe there is a scientific consensus that global warming is hap-
pening, and overwhelmingly believe that human activities are the primary cause (Figures 8 and 9).
Compared to the other five segments, they are the most likely to view it as a threat to them person-
ally and to future generations (Figures 10 and 11), and as already harming people in the United States,
rather than in the distant future (Figure 12).
The Concerned are also convinced that global warming is happening, although they are less certain
than the Alarmed (Figure 2). The issue is also less important to them than the Alarmed (Figure 3),
yet they are relatively worried about it (Figure 4). The Concerned have thought some about global
warming, believe they are somewhat informed about the causes, consequences, and potential solu-
tions, and are somewhat unlikely to change their minds about the issue (Figures 5-7). Most believe
there is a scientific consensus that global warming is happening and that human activities are the pri-
mary cause (Figures 8 & 9). Compared to the Alarmed, they are less likely to perceive it as a threat
to them personally or to future generations (Figures 10 & 11), but distinctly more so than members
of the other four segments. Finally, they believe global warming will start harming people in the
United States in the next 10 years (Figure 12).
The Cautious are somewhat convinced that global warming is happening (Figure 2), but this belief
is relatively weak, with many saying they could change their minds (Figure 5). The Cautious have
only thought a little about global warming (Figure 6), do not consider it personally important (Fig-
ure 3), and tend not to worry about it (Figure 4). They are only somewhat informed about the causes,
consequences, and potential solutions (Figure 7). About half believe that human activities are the
primary cause (Figure 8), and well over a third believe there is a lot of disagreement among scien-
tists over whether global warming is happening (Figure 9). The Cautious do not perceive global
warming as a significant personal threat, but do believe it will have a moderate to great impact on fu-
how the six americas differ
6 global warming’s six americas 2009
ture generations (Figures 10 & 11). Likewise, they believe global warming will not start to harm peo-
ple in the United States for roughly 35 years (Figure 12).
The Disengaged are not at all sure that global warming is happening (Figure 2) and are the group
most likely to say they could easily change their minds (Figure 5). The Disengaged have hardly
thought about global warming at all (Figure 6), do not consider it personally important (Figure 3),
and tend not to worry about it (Figure 4). They say they know only a little about the causes, conse-
quences, and potential solutions (Figure 7). Just over a third believe that human activities are the
primary cause (Figure 8) and a majority simply don’t know enough to say whether scientists agree
or disagree that global warming is happening (Figure 9). Likewise, the Disengaged overwhelmingly
say they don’t know whether global warming will harm them personally or future generations (Fig-
ures 10 & 11). Further, they believe global warming will not start to harm people in the United States
for roughly 30 years (Figure 12).
The Doubtful say they don’t know whether global warming is happening or not (Figure 2). They also
say the issue is not personally important to them (Figure 3) and they are not worried about it (Fig-
ure 4). The Doubtful have thought only a little about global warming, say they are informed only a
little about the causes, consequences, and potential solutions, yet say they are somewhat unlikely to
change their minds about the issue (Figures 5-7). Most believe there is a lot of disagreement among
scientists over whether global warming is happening and believe that if global warming is happen-
ing, natural changes in the environment are the primary cause (Figures 8 & 9). A majority of the
Doubtful say global warming will harm them personally or future generations only a little or not at
all, although some simply say they don’t know (Figures 10 & 11). Finally, they believe global warm-
ing will not start harming people in the United States for at least 100 years (Figure 12).
The Dismissive are sure that global warming is not happening (Figure 2). They say the issue is not at
all important to them personally (Figure 3) and are not worried about it at all (Figure 4). The Dis-
missive, however, say that they have thought some about global warming and believe they are well-
informed about the causes, consequences, and potential solutions – i.e., that there are none, because
it doesn’t exist (Figures 6 & 7). They are very certain about their views, saying they are very unlikely
to change their minds about the issue (Figure 5). Many flatly reject the proposition that global warm-
ing is happening, while a majority believe that if global warming is happening, natural changes in the
environment are the primary cause (Figure 8). Likewise, a majority believe there is a lot of disagree-
ment among scientists over whether global warming is occurring, while over a fifth of the Dismissive
believe there is a scientific consensus that global warming is not happening (Figure 9). They over-
whelmingly say that global warming will not harm them personally or future generations at all (Fig-
ures 10 & 11). Finally, they believe global warming will never harm people in the United States.
an audience segmentation analysis 7
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Extremely sure
global warming
is happening
Very sure
global warming
is happening
Somewhat sure
global warming
is happening
Not at all sure
global warming
is happening
Don’t know
Not at all sure
global warming
is not happening
Somewhat sure
global warming
is not happening
Very sure
global warming
is not happening
Extremely sure
global warming
is not happening
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 2:Certainty of belief in the reality of global warming
Do you think that global warming is happening?
How sure are you that global warming is happening? or
How sure are you that global warming is not happening?
n=2,129
5
4
3
2
1
Extremely
important
Very
important
Somewhat
important
Not too
important
Not at all
important
Alarmed
Concerned
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 3:Personal importance
of global warming
How important is the issue of global warming to you personally?
n=2,129
Cautious
note: In these and all
subsequent figures, the size
(area) of the circles and
width of the columns repre-
sent the proportion of the
American public in each
audience segment. The
small cross at the center of
each circle represents the
segment average response to
the question.
8 global warming’s six americas 2009
4
3
2
1
Strongly
agree
Somewhat
agree
Somewhat
disagree
Strongly
disagree
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 5:Attitudinal certainty
“I could easily change my mind about global warming.”
n=2,129
4
3
2
1
A lot
Some
A little
Not at all
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 6:Amount of thought
about global warming
How much had you thought about global warming before today?
n=2,129
4
3
2
1
Very well
informed
Fairly well
informed
Not very well
informed
Not at all
informed
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 7:Self-assessed knowledge
Personally, do you think that you are well informed or not about …
• … the different causes of global warming
• … the different consequences of global warming
• … ways in which we can reduce global warming.
Results shown below are the average of the three responses.
n=2,129
4
3
2
1
Very
worried
Somewhat
worried
Not very
worried
Not at all
worried
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 4:Worry
How worried are you about global warming?
n=2,129
an audience segmentation analysis 9
Figure 8:Beliefs regarding the causes of global warming
If global warming is happening, do you think it is:
• Caused mostly by human activities
• Caused mostly by natural changes in the environment
• Other (Please specify)
• None of the above because global warming isn’t happening
Dismissive
100%
0%
Concerned
79%
13%
7%
Cautious
50%
43%
20%
6%
Disengaged
39%
47%
6%
2%
3%
Doubtful
8%
81%
5%
2%
2%
1%
1%
69%
28%
Alarmed
88%
4%
8%
1%
Caused mostly by human activities
Caused mostly by natural changes in the environment
Caused by human activities and natural changes (volunteered)
Other
None of the above because global warming isn’t happening
n=2,129
Note: In this figure (and all subsequent figures with columns), the column width
accurately represents the proportion of the American public in each segment.
10 global warming’s six americas 2009
Figure 9:Beliefs about the scientific consensus
Which comes closer to your own view?
• Most scientists think global warming is happening
• Most scientists think global warming is not happening
• There is a lot of disagreement among scientists about whether or not
global warming is happening
• Don’t know enough to say
Dismissive
100%
0%
Concerned
64%
24%
1%
11%
Cautious
37%
42%
2%
20%
Disengaged
23%
19%
57%
Doubtful
11% 8%
62%
2%
26%
22%
67%
3%
Alarmed
80%
19%
1%
Most scientists think global warming is happening
Most scientists think global warming is not happening
There is a lot of disagreement
Don’t know enough to say
n=2,129
an audience segmentation analysis 11
Figure 10:Personal threat of global warming
How much do you think global warming will harm you personally?
Dismissive
100%
0%
Concerned
38%
28%
9%
7%
19%
Cautious
3%
16%
44%
32%
4%
Disengaged
95%
3%
Doubtful
18%
3%
59%
20%
97%
2%
Alarmed
23%
32%
34%
2%
9% 1%
1%
A great deal
A moderate amount
Only a little
Not at all
Don’t know
n=2,129
12 global warming’s six americas 2009
Figure 11:Threat to future generations
How much do you think global warming will harm future generations of people?
Dismissive
100%
0%
Concerned
68%
19%
12%
Cautious
25%
47%
19%
5%
3%
Disengaged
100%
Doubtful
12%
2%
31%
23%
32%
90%
4%
Alarmed
91%
2%
7% 6%
A great deal
A moderate amount
Only a little
Not at all
Don’t know
n=2,129
6
5
4
3
2
1
They are being
harmed now
In 10 years
In 25 years
In 50 years
In 100 years
Never
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 12:Timing of harm to people in U.S.
When do you think global warming will start to harm people
in the United States?
n=2,129
an audience segmentation analysis 13
None of the six Americas are fully confident that humans both can and will successfully reduce global
warming (Figure 13). They have dramatically different beliefs, however, about the possibility of re-
ducing global warming and in the number of positive and negative outcomes they expect if the United
States takes action (Figures 13-15). The more concerned segments also express much more confi-
dence that if the actions they are personally taking were widely adopted throughout the modern in-
dustrialized world, it would significantly reduce global warming (Figure 16).
A majority of the Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, and Disengaged Americas believe that it is possi-
ble for humans to reduce global warming, but feel it is still unclear whether we will do so (Figure 13).
The Doubtful and Dismissive disagree, believing either that global warming is not happening or that
humans can’t reduce it, even if it is occurring.
The Alarmed and the Concerned expect an average of 6 to 8 positive benefits (selected from a list of
10) if the United States acts to reduce warming, including providing a better life for our children
and grandchildren, saving many plant and animal species from extinction, improving people’s health,
the creation of green jobs, and strengthening of the economy (see Table 5 in Appendix I). By con-
trast, the Dismissive and Doubtful expect an average of 0 to 2 positive benefits if the nation acts. In
general, the more concerned a segment is, the more positive outcomes they expect (Figure 14).
The Doubtful and Dismissive instead expect 2 to 3 negative outcomes if the nation acts, including in-
creased government regulation, rising energy prices, lost jobs, and economic harm (Figure 15). These
are the only two groups that anticipate multiple negative outcomes: the other four groups expect only
one negative outcome, typically increased government regulation, which may actually be viewed as a
positive outcome by some people.
The Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, and Disengaged all believe that if most people in the industri-
alized countries around the world took individual action, it would reduce global warming some to a
great deal (Figure 16). The Doubtful believe that widespread individual action would only reduce
global warming a little, while the Dismissive say these actions would make no difference at all.
expected outcomes from action
to reduce global warming
14 global warming’s six americas 2009
Figure 13:Expected outcome of
human action to reduce global warming
Dismissive
100%
0%
Concerned
24%
5%
64%
8%
Cautious
11%
34%
49%
5%
Disengaged
5%
50%
27%
15%
3%
Doubtful
59%
13%
12%
13%
3%
54%
45%
Alarmed
18%
74%
8% 1%
1%
Humans can reduce global warming, and we are going to do so successfully
Humans could reduce global warming, but it’s unclear at this point whether we will do
what’s needed
Humans could reduce global warming, but people aren’t willing to change their behavior,
so we’re not going to
Humans can't reduce global warming, even if it is happening
Global warming isn’t happening
n=2,129
an audience segmentation analysis 15
10
8
6
4
2
0
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 14: Number of positive
outcomes expected from national
action to reduce global warming
Average number of positive outcomes selected from the list of 10
shown below this figure.
n=2,129
Please check all of the answers below that you believe are true.
If our nation takes steps to reduce global warming, it will....
• Help free us from dependence on foreign oil
• Improve people’s health
• Improve our national security
• Create green jobs and a stronger economy
• Save many plant and animal species from extinction
• Protect God’s creation
• Save many people around the world from poverty and starva-
tion
• Provide a better life for our children and grandchildren
• Prevent the destruction of most life on the planet
• Protect the world’s poorest people from harm caused by the
world’s richest people
Outcomes were presented in a random order and included the six
negative outcomes listed below Figure 15.
6
4
2
0
Alarmed
Concerned Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 15: Number of negative
outcomes expected from national
action to reduce global warming
Average number of negative outcomes selected from the list of 6
shown below this figure.
Please check all of the answers below that you believe are true.
If our nation takes steps to reduce global warming, it will....
• Cost jobs and harm our economy
• Lead to more government regulation
• Undermine American sovereignty
• Cause energy prices to rise
• Interfere with the free market
• Harm poor people more than it helps them
Outcomes were presented in a random order and included the ten
positive outcomes listed above in Figure 14.
n=2,129
16 global warming’s six americas 2009
4
3
2
1
Alarmed Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 16: Expected effectiveness
of one’s own actions, if adopted by
most people in industrialized nations
“If most people in the modern industrialized countries around the world
did these same actions,* how much would it reduce global warming?”
*This question followed a bank of questions that asked the respondent
about his or her energy-saving actions, and a question that asked the
respondent to estimate how much these actions reduced his or her
own contribution to global warming.
Note: This question was skipped if the respondent was “very sure”
or “extremely sure” that global warming is not occurring. Nine percent
of the Doubtfuls and 58% of the Dismissives were not asked the
question. In the remaining four segments, less than 1% were skipped.
A lot
Some
A little
Not at all
n=2,129
an audience segmentation analysis 17
In line with their different beliefs about the reality and seriousness of global warming, the six Amer-
icas generally have different levels of support for or opposition to a variety of national policies to ad-
dress the problem. Overall, the segments with a higher sense of threat and more positive expectations
about action view global warming as a higher issue priority, and express stronger support for a va-
riety of climate change policies.
Within this general pattern, however, certain policies receive much greater support or opposition
across all groups. All six Americas, for example, favor funding more research into renewable energy
and providing tax rebates to individuals who purchase solar panels or fuel-efficient vehicles (Figure
21). Conversely, support for a market-based cap and trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
is currently weak across all six segments, including the Alarmed, who are otherwise the most sup-
portive of climate change policies (Figure 22).
The Alarmed rate global warming as a very high national priority and strongly support almost all
policies that would reduce carbon emissions, with the exception of a cap and trade system (Figures
17-22) and a gasoline tax (Table 8). They want citizens, industry, and government to do much more
to address the threat. The Concerned share these views, although they rate global warming as a high
priority and somewhat to strongly support all policies, with the exception of a cap and trade system
(Figures 17-22) and gas tax (Table 8).
The Cautious, however, do not believe that climate change is particularly dangerous or threatening,
and they’re less optimistic about outcomes; thus they rate it as a lower issue priority and express
weaker support for climate and energy policies. They desire more action from corporations, gov-
ernment, and citizens, but not much more, and many say that government is already doing the right
amount.
The Disengaged rate global warming as a low policy priority and the policies they support most
strongly would generate new sources of oil through offshore drilling or drilling in the Arctic Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge, rather than reducing carbon emissions. A third do, however, strongly support
the funding of research into renewable energy sources, and many express a desire for corporations,
government and citizens to do more to reduce global warming.
The Doubtful do not view global warming as a serious threat to people and are decidedly pessimistic
about efforts to reduce it. In line with these views, they do not rate the issue as a top-tier national pri-
ority, although fully three-quarters do feel America should make some effort to address it. Many
show modest levels of support for climate and energy policies; however, about half or more say that
citizens, industry, and government are already doing the right amount to address the issue.
The Dismissive believe global warming should be a low priority for the government, and say that
government, corporations and citizens should not be taking action to reduce it. They strongly favor
increased drilling for oil and the building of nuclear power plants, while opposing most policies
aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
policy and national response preferences
18 global warming’s six americas 2009
4
3
2
1
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 17: National issue
priority of global warming
Here are some issues now being discussed in Washington, D.C.
Do you think each of these issues should be a low, medium, high,
or very high priority for the next president and Congress?
• Global warming
Very high
High
Medium
Low
n=2,129
4
3
2
1
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 18: Support for signing an international
treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
How much do you support or oppose the following policies?
• Sign an international treaty that requires the United States to cut
its emissions of carbon dioxide 90% by the year 2050.
Strongly
support
Somewhat
support
Somewhat
oppose
Strongly
oppose n=2,129
4
3
2
1
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 19: Support for regulation
of CO2 as a pollutant
How much do you support or oppose the following policies?
• Regulate carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas)
as a pollutant.
Strongly
support
Somewhat
support
Somewhat
oppose
Strongly
oppose n=2,129
4
3
2
1
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 20: Support for requiring automakers
to increase fuel-efficiency to 45 mpg
How much do you support or oppose the following policies?
• Require automakers to increase the fuel efficiency of cars,
trucks, and SUVS, to 45 mpg, even if it means a new vehicle
will cost up to $1,000 more to buy.
Strongly
support
Somewhat
support
Somewhat
oppose
Strongly
oppose
n=2,129
an audience segmentation analysis 19
4
3
2
1
Alarmed Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 22: Support for a cap and trade policy
How much do you support or oppose the following policies?
• Create a new national market that allows companies to buy
and sell the right to emit the greenhouse gases said to cause
global warming. The federal government would set a national
cap on emissions. Each company would then purchase the
right to emit a portion of this total amount. If a company then
emitted more than its portion, it would have to buy more
emission rights from other companies or pay large fines.
Strongly
support
Somewhat
support
Somewhat
oppose
Strongly
oppose
n=2,129
4
3
2
1
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 21: Support for providing
rebates for purchases of solar panels
and fuel-efficient vehicles
How much do you support or oppose the following policies?
• Provide tax rebates for people who purchase energy-efficient
vehicles or solar panels.
Strongly
support
Somewhat
support
Somewhat
oppose
Strongly
oppose
n=2,129
20 global warming’s six americas 2009
There are numerous ways in which people can take action to reduce global warming: political and
consumer activism; adoption of energy-efficient technologies; energy conservation at home and
on the road; and attempting to influence their friends and families of their views. Some of these ac-
tions save people money, while others are costly; some require considerable investment of time and
energy, while others are simple and become more or less automatic with repetition. These differ-
ences are reflected in the degree to which concern about global warming drives a particular behav-
ior: If people can save money by an action, all six Americas are relatively likely to take that action
regardless of their concern about global warming. Conversely, political activism is an action typi-
cally limited to only the highly committed, and therefore this action is reported by only one of the
six Americas. Consumer activism, on the other hand, is a relatively easy way for people to express
their desire for change, and is undertaken by large numbers of Americans who are concerned about
global warming. Overall, 58 percent of Americans intend to engage in consumer activism over the
coming year – which translates to approximately 134 million people – and within segments, we see
large differences in these intentions.
Despite their desire for a stronger national response to global warming, only about a quarter of the
Alarmed segment report having contacted elected officials to urge them to take action to reduce
global warming. They are, however, far more likely than the other segments to have contacted elected
officials (Figure 23). Their desire for greater action by corporations manifests in very high rates of
consumer activism (Figure 24), and almost all intend to engage in consumer activism over the com-
ing year (Figure 25). The Alarmed, however, are only slightly more likely than average to have in-
vested in energy efficiency improvements to their homes or to engage in home energy conservation
(Figures 26 & 27). Like the rest of the population, they also are relatively unlikely to be using alter-
native forms of transportation. While higher than average, they still report relatively low rates of
biking, walking, or using mass transit and carpools (Table 14). They cite numerous barriers to en-
gaging in these actions more often, such as long travel distances and a lack of options (Table 15). Fi-
nally, the Alarmed discuss global warming more often and are more likely to provide information on
the topic than any other group (Figure 28).
The Concerned segment’s actions resemble those of the Alarmed, although at markedly lower lev-
els. They report low rates of political activism; their rates of consumer activism, however, are higher
than all other segments, except the Alarmed. The Concerned are about average in terms of investing
in energy efficiency improvements and energy conservation in their homes, and, like the rest of the
population, they are relatively unlikely to be using alternative forms of transportation.
The Cautious have low levels of political and consumer activism. They express little intention to in-
crease their level of political activity in the coming year, but a fifth say they intend to increase their
consumer activism over the coming year (Table 11). They are slightly less likely than average to have
made energy-efficiency improvements to their homes, and are much less likely to have installed com-
pact fluorescent lighting (Table 12). Like the rest of the nation, they also are unlikely to use alterna-
tive forms of transportation, citing numerous barriers that inhibit them from doing so.
The Disengaged also report little political and consumer activism related to global warming. They
are the segment least likely to have made energy efficiency improvements to their homes, but ex-
ceed national averages on their use of alternative forms of transportation (likely because they also
personal actions and intentions
an audience segmentation analysis 21
have lower household incomes; Table 14). They are the least likely of the six segments to discuss
global warming with other people (Table 18).
The Doubtful also report very low rates of political and consumer activism related to global warming.
Conversely, they report high rates – the highest of any segment – for certain household energy effi-
ciency actions, but only average or below average rates of energy conservation actions (Tables 12 & 14).
The Dismissive have not engaged in any political activities aimed at reducing global warming and
report low rates of consumer activism. They have, however, made many energy efficiency improve-
ments to their homes – with the exception of installing compact fluorescent lights – and they are
likely to conserve energy at home as well (Tables 12 & 14). Few, however, conserve energy in their
transportation choices. Finally, they are more likely to discuss global warming and provide informa-
tion on the topic than any other group, with the exception of the Alarmed (Table 18 & Figure 28).
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 24: Proportion who have
rewarded companies that support
action to reduce global warming
Over the past 12 months, how many times have you done
these things?
• Rewarded companies that are taking steps to reduce
global warming by buying their products.
Note: Figure shows the proportion who have rewarded companies
one or more times over the past 12 months.
n=2,129
30%
20%
10%
0%
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 23: Proportion who have
contacted elected officials to urge
action on global warming
Over the past 12 months, how many times have you done each
of the following?
• Written letters, emailed, or phoned government officials
to urge them to take action to reduce global warming?
Note: Figure shows the proportion who have contacted officials
one or more times over the past 12 months.
n=2,129
22 global warming’s six americas 2009
5
4
3
2
1
0
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 26: Number of energy efficiency
improvements made to home
Number of improvements made from the following list of five:
Insulating the attic; caulking and weather-stripping the home;
installation of an energy-efficient water heater; installation of an
energy-efficient furnace; installation of an energy-efficient air
conditioner.
n=2,129
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 25: Proportion intending to engage
in consumer activism over coming year
n=2,129
Note: Percentages show the proportion who intend to
(1) reward companies that are taking steps to reduce global
warming by buying their products; or (2) punish companies
that are opposing steps to reduce global warming by NOT
buying their products; or (3) both of these actions.
an audience segmentation analysis 23
Figure 28:Giving and receiving
information on global warming
When you talk to other people about global warming, do you usually …
Dismissive
100%
0%
Concerned
8%
42%
21%
29%
Cautious
4%
27%
20%
23%
45%
Disengaged
8%
68%
23%
Doubtful
8%
19%
31%
13%
48%
7%
28%
46%
Alarmed
54%
24%
11%
11%
Give more information than you receive?
Give and receive about the same amount of information?
Receive more information than you give?
Don’t know
n=2,129
5
4
3
2
1
0
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 27: Number of habitual
conservation actions
Number of actions that respondent does “always” or “often” from
the following list of five: turning off unneeded lights; raising the
thermostat to 76 or higher or using less air conditioning in summer;
lowering the thermostat to 68 or cooler in winter; walking or biking
instead of driving; using public transportation or car pools.
n=2,129
24 global warming’s six americas 2009
There are demographic differences among the six Americas, but they are not typically large. The six
groups differ dramatically, however, in their values, political ideology, and religious beliefs. The seg-
ments that are more concerned about global warming tend to be more politically liberal and to hold
strong egalitarian and environmental values. The less concerned segments are more politically con-
servative, hold anti-egalitarian and strongly individualistic values, and are more likely to be evan-
gelical with strongly traditional religious beliefs.
The Alarmed tend to be moderate to liberal Democrats who are active in their communities (Figures
29 & 30). They are more likely to be women, older middle-aged (55-64 years old), college educated,
and upper income, and hold relatively strong egalitarian values, favoring government intervention
to assure the basic needs of all people (Figure 31 & Table 21). They are less likely than other segments
to use possessions as a measure of status. The Alarmed believe it is more important to protect the en-
vironment than privilege economic growth (Figure 32), and are the least likely to be evangelical
Christians of the six segments (Figure 33).
The Concerned – who are very representative of the full diversity of America in terms of gender, age,
incomes, education, and ethnicities – tend to be moderate Democrats who have an average rate of
involvement in civic activities. They hold values and attitudes that in many ways are similar to the
American norm, although they are somewhat more likely to hold moderate egalitarian values and
prefer environmental protection over economic growth.
The Cautious are evenly divided between moderate Democrats and Republicans, with relatively low
levels of civic engagement, and have traditional religious beliefs. In general, their values and demo-
graphic characteristics closely track American averages.
The Disengaged tend to be moderate Democrats who are politically inactive. They hold egalitarian
values, traditional religious beliefs, and are likely to prefer economic growth over environmental
protection. They are more likely than average to be minority women with less education and lower
incomes.
The Doubtful– who are more likely than average to be male, older, better educated, higher income, and
white – tend to be Republicans with an average rate of involvement in civic activities. They hold strongly
individualistic values, are more likely than average to say they are “born again” or evangelical Christians,
and are very likely to prefer economic growth over environmental protection.
The Dismissive are more likely than average to be high income, well-educated, white men. They are
much more likely to be very conservative Republicans. The Dismissive are civically active, hold
strongly traditional religious beliefs, and are the segment most likely to be evangelical Christian.
They strongly endorse individualistic values, opposing any form of government intervention, anti-
egalitarian, and almost universally prefer economic growth over environmental protection.
demographics, social
characteristics and values 3
3In addition to the figures cited in the text, data cited in this section are taken from Table 19: Civic engagement; Table 20: Party iden-
tification; Table 21: Values; Table 22: Environmental beliefs; Table 23: Religion; and Table 24: Demographics.
an audience segmentation analysis 25
Figure 29:Party identification
Generally speaking, do you think of yourself as a…
• Republican
• Democrat
• Independent
• Other (please specify)
• No party/not interested in politics
Dismissive
100%
0%
Concerned
47%
19%
2%
23%
9%
Cautious
32%
18%
33%
17%
Disengaged
41%
16%
23%
1%
18%
Doubtful
24%
9%
56%
3%
8%
64%
9%
3%
19%
Alarmed
58%
2%
9%
24%
7% 5%
No party / not interested in politics
Other
Republican
Independent
Democrat
n=2,129
26 global warming’s six americas 2009
4
3
2
1
Alarmed Concerned
Cautious Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 31: Egalitarian values
Average agreement with the four statements shown at the
bottom of this page.
Figure shows average agreement with the following four assertions:
• The world would be a more peaceful place if its wealth were
divided more equally among nations.
• In my ideal society, all basic needs (food, housing, health care,
education) would be guaranteed by the government for everyone.
• I support government programs to get rid of poverty.
• Discrimination against minorities is still a very serious problem
in our society.
Strongly
agree
Somewhat
agree
Somewhat
disagree
Strongly
disagree n=2,129
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 30: Civic engagement
Number of types of action taken over the past year from the list
of 11 possible actions shown at the bottom of this page.
Which, if any, of the following have you done in the past 12 months?
(Select all that apply)
• Written or called any politician at the state, local, or
national level.
• Attended a political rally or speech or organized protest
of any kind.
• Attended a public meeting on town or school affairs.
• Held or run for political office.
• Served on a committee of a local organization.
• Served as an officer of a local club or organization.
• Written a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine
or called a live radio or TV show to express an opinion.
• Written an article for a magazine or newspaper.
• Worked for a political party.
• Made a speech.
• Been an active member of any group that tries to influence
public policy or government.
n=2,129
an audience segmentation analysis 27
60%
40%
20%
0%
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 33: Proportion “born
again” or evangelical
Would you describe yourself as “born-again” or evangelical?
n=2,129
Figure 32:Environment vs. economy
Which do you think is more important?
Dismissive
100%
Concerned
66%
34%
Cautious
48%
52%
Disengaged
40%
60%
Doubtful
25%
75%
10%
Alarmed
88%
12%
90%
Economic growth, even if it leads to environmental problems
Environmental protection, even if it costs jobs or economic growth
n=2,129
28 global warming’s six americas 2009
Overall levels of media use do not vary much among the six Americas, but attention to specific
forms of news differ – particularly environmental, political, and scientific news – as do information
seeking, trust in information sources, and the frequency with which particular programs or genres
are viewed, read, or heard.
The Alarmed follow news on global warming closely and seek it out (Figure 34). They are highly
attentive to political, environmental and scientific news, and higher than average users of most
media, including online newspapers, the Internet and magazines. Their most trusted sources of in-
formation on global warming are scientists (Figure 35), environmental organizations, and Al Gore
(Table 26).
The Concerned have average rates of media use. They say that they need additional information
about global warming before firmly making up their minds about the issue, but they tend not to pay
much attention to information about global warming or to take steps to seek it out. They are most
likely to trust scientists as a source of information about global warming, followed by environmen-
tal organizations, Al Gore, and Barack Obama.
The Cautious have average exposure to the mass media. Like the Concerned, the Cautious express
a need for more information on global warming, but they do not seek out information or attend
closely to the information they encounter. They pay the least attention of all the groups to news on
the environment and pay lower than average attention to most types of news. They are most likely
to trust scientists as a source of information about global warming, followed by their own family
and friends, and television weather reporters.
The Disengaged tend to be high television viewers, watching more entertainment programming
than average, but less news and public affairs. They do not follow political news very closely. While
they say they need more information on global warming to make up their minds on the issue, they
are unlikely to seek out this information. They are equally likely to trust scientists and their own
friends and families as sources of information about global warming, followed by television weather
reporters.
The Doubtful have more-or-less average rates of media use. About one-third say they need additional
information about global warming before they can firmly make up their mind, but they are extremely
unlikely to pay attention to information about the issue. The Doubtful are most likely to trust their own
friends and families as sources of information about global warming, followed by scientists, with re-
ligious leaders a more distant third.
The Dismissive have a specialized media diet, with a higher than average preference for media sources
that reflect their own political point of view. While they are high consumers of political news, they
do not trust most sources of information on global warming, including the mainstream news media
(Figure 34), and they are more likely than average to turn to conservative news commentators and
the Internet. They are most likely to trust their own friends and families as a source of information
about global warming, with scientists and religious leaders well behind.
on media use and information seeking 4
4In addition to the figures cited in the text, this section draws on data from Table 25: Information seeking and attention; Table 26:
Source trust; Table 27: Media exposure; and Table 28: Attention to sources.
an audience segmentation analysis 29
4
3
2
1
A lot
A
little
Some
None
Alarmed
Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 34: Attention to global
warming information
How much attention do you pay to information
about global warming?
n=2,129
4
3
2
1
Strongly
trust
Somewhat
trust
Somewhat
distrust
Strongly
distrust
Alarmed Concerned
Cautious Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 36: Trust in the
mainstream news media as sources
of global warming information
How much do you trust or distrust the following as a source
of information about global warming?
• The mainstream news media
n=2,129
4
3
2
1
Strongly
trust
Somewhat
trust
Somewhat
distrust
Strongly
distrust
Alarmed Concerned
Cautious
Disengaged
Doubtful
Dismissive
Figure 35: Trust in scientists as sources
of global warming information
How much do you trust or distrust the following as a source
of information about global warming?
• Scientists
n=2,129
30 global warming’s six americas 2009
the alarmed
(18% of American Adults)
Beliefs & Issue Involvement
The Alarmed are the audience segment most convinced that global
warming is happening. They are the most involved with the issue
and the most worried about it. They recognize the scientific con-
sensus on the issue, and overwhelmingly believe human activities
are the cause of the problem. Compared to the other five segments,
they’re most likely to view it as personally threatening, and as hap-
pening here and now, rather than in the distant future.
Certainty (Table 1)
Almost all members of the Alarmed say they are either extremely
(74%) or very sure (24%) that global warming is occurring. Further,
almost everyone in this group (99%) disagrees that they could eas-
ily change their mind about global warming.
Involvement (Table 2)
Almost all members of the Alarmed say they have thought a lot
(68%) or some (30%) about global warming. Likewise, almost
everyone in this group says the issue is either extremely (48%) or
very important (47%) to them personally. All are either very (65%) or somewhat worried (35%),
while a large majority (79%) says they have personally experienced the effects of global warming.
Perceived Knowledge & Beliefs (Table 3)
The vast majority of the Alarmed believe they are well informed about the causes, consequences, and
ways to reduce global warming, with over 90 percent saying they are either very or fairly well in-
formed on all three topics. Almost all this group believe that human activities cause global warming
(88%), while 8 percent say it is caused by a combination of human activities and natural changes in
the environment. Likewise, most of the Alarmed are convinced that most scientists believe global
warming is occurring (80%), while 19 percent believe there is still a lot of disagreement among sci-
entists.
Almost all of the Alarmed hold one of three conceptual models about how the climate system works.
The most widely held model is that of a slow, linear warming trend that will gradually lead to dan-
gerous effects (42%). Other members of this group believe in either a fragile model in which the
Earth’s climate system is delicately balanced, and where small amounts of global warming will have
abrupt and catastrophic impacts (27%) or a threshold model, in which the climate system is stable,
but only within certain limits or tipping points, beyond which there will be dangerous effects (25%).
audience profiles
an audience segmentation analysis 31
Risk Perceptions (Table 4)
The Alarmed perceive global warming as a very significant threat. Almost all of them say that global
warming will cause a great deal of harm to plant and animal species (91%), future generations of peo-
ple (91%), people in developing countries (82%), and people in the United States and other mod-
ern industrialized countries (over 60%). They are also more likely than members of other segments
to believe it will cause a great deal of harm to them personally (34%), their own family (41%), and
their own community (46%). Likewise, a large majority believe that global warming is already harm-
ing people around the world (75%) or will within the next 10 years (13%).
Large majorities of the Alarmed believe that if nothing is done to address it, over the next 20 years
global warming will cause many more famines and food shortages (90%), droughts and water short-
ages (90%), severe heat waves (88%), extinctions of plant and animal species (88%), intense hurri-
canes (86%), floods (86%), forest fires (79%), refugees (79%), people living in poverty (77%), and
disease epidemics (73%) worldwide. Likewise, large majorities believe that it is very likely that over
the next 20 years, global warming will cause melting ice caps and glaciers (98%), expanding deserts
(72%), and the abandonment of large coastal cities due to rising sea levels (65%).
The Alarmed are also much more likely to believe that global warming is already having or will have
serious impacts on human health. A substantial proportion estimate that thousands (33%) or millions
(11%) of people worldwide currently die each year due to global warming and estimate these num-
bers will rise dramatically in 50 years. Likewise, roughly similar numbers of the Alarmed believe that
global warming is currently or will cause thousands or millions of injuries and illnesses worldwide.
However, roughly 33 percent of the Alarmed say they simply don’t know and can’t guess how many
fatalities, injuries, or illnesses are currently or will be caused by global warming, demonstrating that,
even among the Alarmed, many do not understand the human health implications.
Outcomes Expected from National Action to Reduce Global Warming (Table 5)
Almost all of the Alarmed believe that taking national action to reduce global warming will provide
a better life for our children and grandchildren (96%), save many plant and animal species from ex-
tinction (96%), improve people’s health (92%), create green jobs and a stronger economy (92%), pre-
vent the destruction of most life on the planet (83%), help free us from dependence on foreign oil
(80%), save many people around the world from poverty and starvation (76%), protect the world’s
poorest people from environmental harm caused by the world’s richest people (73%), and protect
God’s creation (65%). Only 39 percent, however, believe that taking national action to reduce global
warming will improve our national security. When asked which reason for action was most impor-
tant to them personally, the Alarmed were most likely to select preventing the destruction of most life
on the planet (31%) and providing a better life for our children and grandchildren (20%).
The Alarmed are much less likely to believe that national action to reduce global warming would lead
to more government regulation (44%), cause energy prices to rise (19%), cost jobs and harm our
economy (4%), interfere with the free market (7%), harm poor people more than it helps them
(3%), or undermine American sovereignty (3%). Of these potential outcomes, the Alarmed are most
concerned that national action will cause energy prices to rise (38%) or lead to more government
regulation (33%).
32 global warming’s six americas 2009
Almost half of the Alarmed foresee only positive outcomes from national action to reduce global
warming, while 51 percent see both positive and negative outcomes. When provided their top rea-
sons for and against national action and asked to weigh them, this 51 percent of the Alarmed over-
whelmingly (98%) said that the United States should nonetheless take steps to reduce global
warming.
Beliefs about Potential Outcomes and the Effectiveness of Actions (Table 6)
Most of the Alarmed (74%) believe that humans could reduce global warming, but it remains unclear
at this point whether we will do what is needed. Only 8 percent are confident that we are going to
do so successfully, while 18 percent believe we could, but people aren’t willing to change their be-
havior, so we’re not going to.
When asked to consider the energy saving actions they have already taken or would like to take
over the next 12 months, only 29 percent of the Alarmed believe that these actions would reduce their
own contribution to global warming a lot, suggesting that many believe they could be doing more
as individuals. Large majorities of the Alarmed, however, believe global warming could be reduced
a lot if most people in the U.S. took these actions (72%) or if most people in modern industrialized
countries did so (82%). The Alarmed strongly believe that individual actions can make a difference
in reducing global warming (90%), but do not believe that new technologies can solve the prob-
lem without individuals having to make big changes in their lives (84%).
Policy and National Response Preferences
In line with their sense that global warming is a serious threat to themselves and others, the Alarmed
consider the issue a high national priority, strongly favor multiple policy solutions to the problem,
and want government, industry, and citizens to do much more to address the threat.
Issue Priorities for the President and Congress (Table 7)
At the time of the survey, the Alarmed rated global warming as the 4th most important national pri-
ority for the President and Congress, after the economy, health care, and the federal budget deficit;
60 percent said it should be a very high priority for the new administration and Congress, and an-
other 34 percent said it should be a high priority. Compared to other environmental issues, a large
majority of the Alarmed (74%) rated global warming as a very high priority, while a majority said that
global warming was their most important environmental issue (55%).
Support for a National Response (Table 8)
Almost all the Alarmed believe the United States should act to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, re-
gardless of what other countries do (94%). Almost four out of five (79%) believe that this should be a
large-scale effort, even if it has large economic costs.
The Alarmed overwhelmingly support a variety of climate and energy policies, including funding
research into renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power (99%); regulating carbon
dioxide as a pollutant (96%); providing tax rebates to people who install solar panels or purchase
fuel-efficient vehicles (96%); requiring auto makers to increase fuel-efficiency to 45 mpg (94%);
signing an international treaty requiring the U.S. to cuts its emissions of carbon dioxide 90% by the
year 2050 (94%); requiring electric utilities to produce at least 20 percent of their energy from re-
an audience segmentation analysis 33
newable sources (91%), and providing a government subsidy to replace old water heaters, air con-
ditioners, light bulbs and insulation (92%).
Less popular policies among this segment are: Creating a national cap-and-trade market (60% sup-
port –but only 23% support strongly); increasing taxes by 25 cents per gallon and returning the
revenues to taxpayers by lowering the federal income tax (51% –but only 22% support strongly);
expanding off-shore drilling (50% –20% strongly support), building more nuclear power plants
(50% – 13% strongly support); and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (27% – 8%
strongly support).
Expectations of Elected Officials, Corporations, and Citizens Themselves (Table 9)
In line with their concerns, the Alarmed say they want to see more action by elected officials, cor-
porations and citizens themselves to reduce global warming. Very large majorities say that the U.S.
Congress (100%), citizens themselves (100%), corporations and industry (98%), their governor
(97%), state legislators (97%), and local officials (88%) should be doing more to address global
warming.
Personal Actions and Intentions
Despite their desire for more political action on global warming (yet like most members of the gen-
eral public), the Alarmed report relatively low rates of political activism. Conversely, their desire for
more action by corporations manifests in very high rates of consumer activism. Many also appear to
be actively working to influence others interpersonally.
The Alarmed are only slightly more likely than average to have invested in energy efficiency im-
provements to their homes or to engage in home energy conservation. These are predominantly ac-
tions that most members of the population overall say they are already taking, and thus, on these
behaviors the Alarmed are not that different from the other segments.
Like the rest of the population, they also are relatively unlikely to be using alternative forms of trans-
portation. While higher than the average, they still report relatively low rates of biking, walking, or
using mass transit and carpools. They cite numerous barriers to engaging in these actions more often,
such as long travel distances and a lack of available alternatives to the automobile.
Political Activism (Table 10)
Over a quarter (26%) of the Alarmed have contacted government officials at least once through let-
ters, emails, or phone calls to urge them to take action on global warming. Over a third (37%) plan
to increase their level of political activism in the coming year, and two-thirds (65%) of these are
moderately or completely confident in their ability to do so. The barriers that might prevent them
from contacting officials more often are: they are too busy (22%); they don’t see themselves as ac-
tivists (20%); or they don’t know how (20%). Significantly, a third (33%) say that nothing would pre-
vent them from contacting elected officials about global warming.
Almost a third (32%) of the Alarmed have volunteered with or donated money at least once to or-
ganizations working to reduce global warming, while 41 percent plan to increase their volunteerism
and donations in the coming year. About half (49%) are moderately or completely confident that
they will be able to do so. The single largest barrier that prevents members of this group from vol-
34 global warming’s six americas 2009
unteering or donating is that they can’t afford to (49%). Close to a third (31%) say, however, that
nothing prevents them from taking these actions.
Nearly half of the Alarmed (47%) believe that volunteering and donating to organizations working
on global warming are “pretty effective” or “highly effective” ways to get government officials to take
action, while 34 percent believe that contacting officials directly through letters, emails or the phone
is effective.
Consumer Activism (Table 11)
The Alarmed engage in very high levels of consumer activism on global warming: 71 percent have
rewarded companies at least once in the past year by buying their products if the company is tak-
ing steps to reduce global warming; while 59 percent have punished companies that oppose steps
to reduce global warming by not buying their products. The primary barrier preventing even higher
rates of consumer activism by this segment is knowledge: 79 percent of the Alarmed say they don’t
know which companies to punish, while 22 percent say they can’t afford to do so.
Energy Efficiency Improvements (Tables 12 & 13)
In terms of energy-efficiency improvements, the Alarmed are generally similar to the rest of the pop-
ulation. Like Dismissives and Doubtfuls, they are somewhat more likely than average to have in-
vested in energy-efficiency improvements in the home. The Alarmed, however, are much more likely
to have installed compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs): 60 percent of the Alarmed have replaced
most or all of their bulbs with CFLs, compared to 46 percent of the population as a whole. An addi-
tional 30 percent intend to replace their light bulbs in the coming year. And although the Alarmed
are only slightly more likely than the population overall to have purchased a fuel-efficient vehicle
(23% vs. 21%), they express the greatest intentions to buy one in the next year (29% vs. 20%).
The primary barrier preventing the Alarmed from making efficiency improvements is cost: between 36
percent and 58 percent of those who had not made a variety of home energy efficiency improvements said
that cost was a barrier. The single exception was installation of compact fluorescent bulbs; the primary bar-
riers for this action were not liking them (33%) or not needing new ones yet (27%).
Energy Conservation (Tables 14, 15 & 16)
Most of the Alarmed say they turn off unneeded lights all the time (73%), and almost a third (30%) said
that they intend to do so more often in the future. Half say they lower their thermostats in winter all the
time, and 40 percent say they raise their thermostats in summer or limit their use of air conditioning. The
primary barrier to both actions is a preference for a more comfortable temperature in the house.
The Alarmed are somewhat more likely to conserve energy in their transportation choices than the
average American, although their rates are still low: only 13 percent always use public transportation
or car pools; and 12 percent always walk or bike instead of driving. They cite a number of barriers to
increasing their use of public transportation and carpools: 39 percent say they don’t have the option;
34 percent cite lack of availability; and 22 percent say that it’s too inconvenient. Half (50%) say they
would walk or bike instead of driving more often, but the distances they travel are too far. A minor-
ity (21%) say they don’t intend to bike or walk more often or to increase their use of public trans-
portation and carpools because they drive fuel-efficient cars, and many say they are already doing
these things as much as they can (23% for public transport and 32% for biking and walking).
an audience segmentation analysis 35
When listing the benefits they see in conservation actions, the Alarmed are much more likely than
other segments to cite reducing global warming as a benefit.5For each of the energy conservation
actions, between 68 percent and 87 percent of the Alarmed chose reducing global warming as a
benefit of the action, as compared to 34 percent to 57 percent for the population overall.
Interpersonal Communication and Social Influence (Table 18)
Almost two-thirds (62%) of the Alarmed say they like to discuss global warming with other people,
and 86 percent say that they discuss it with family and friends very often or occasionally. Sixteen
percent have spoken with five or more people about the topic in the last two weeks. A quarter (24%)
of the Alarmed say that when discussing global warming, they give more information than they re-
ceive. One in five (20%) believes that others consider them a good source of information, and 12 per-
cent say that people come to them for advice on the issue.
Demographics, Social Characteristics and Values
The Alarmed tend to be moderate to liberal Democrats who are active in their communities. Com-
pared to national averages, they are more likely to be female, middle-aged (55-64 years old), and col-
lege educated. They are slightly more likely to have higher incomes. The Alarmed also tend to have
stronger egalitarian values, favoring government intervention to assure the basic needs of all peo-
ple. They are also less likely than to use possessions as a measure of status. They hold strong envi-
ronmental values, and are less likely to be “born again” or evangelical Christians.
Demographics (Table 24)
The Alarmed are more likely to be women (61%) and a quarter are 55-64 years old. They are slightly
more likely to have higher incomes (28% earn more than $85K annually) and a college degree (38%).
Their ethnicity closely mirrors the population as a whole.
Civic Engagement (Table 19)
The Alarmed tend to be more engaged in civic affairs than most Americans, averaging 1.4 different
types of civic activity (from a list of 11) in the past year. Only the Dismissives approach this level of
civic engagement, reporting 1.3 types of civic action. The actions the Alarmed are most likely to have
taken are: contacting politicians (35%); attending public meetings on town or school affairs (24%);
or attending a political rally, speech, or organized protest (17%).
Political Affiliation and Ideology (Table 20)
Most in the Alarmed segment are moderate to liberal Democrats; 58% identify themselves as Democ-
rats, and another 24% say they are Independents. Almost half (48%) say they are somewhat to very lib-
eral, while over a third (38%) say they are moderates. Only 14% identify themselves as conservatives.
Values and General Attitudes (Table 21)
The Alarmed hold strongly egalitarian values, believing more strongly than national averages and the
other segments in a more equal distribution of wealth, and in government programs to help people
5The questions about benefits (as well as all the other questions on energy efficiency and conservation actions) were asked early in the
survey before the respondents became aware that global warming was the primary focus of the survey. Thus, their answers were not
biased by an awareness of the primary focus of the survey.
36 global warming’s six americas 2009
in poverty and provide for basic needs for all people. They are also more likely to believe that dis-
crimination against minorities is still a serious problem. They are much less likely than national av-
erages or the other segments to hold strong individualistic values: they are least opposed to
government intervention and the regulation of businesses. They are also less likely to agree that some
people should be allowed to make as much money as they can, while others live in poverty.
In areas where religion and science conflict, most of the Alarmed hold to the scientific perspective:
Two-thirds believe in evolution, in contrast to 47 percent of the population as a whole, and only 30
of the Alarmed agree that the world was created in six days, in contrast to 54 percent of all Ameri-
cans. Regarding the overall value of science, 85 percent of Alarmists disagree with the statement,
“Overall, modern science does more harm than good.”
Consumption and social appearances are of less importance to the Alarmed. They are less likely than
the other segments to follow fashion trends, to believe that success can be judged by one’s possessions,
or to say that it is important to have a home as well equipped and furnished as other people or to rely
on particular brands and products to gain acceptance by others. Over half say they would rather
make something than buy it.
Environmental Beliefs and Concern (Table 22)
Eighty-seven percent of the Alarmed consider themselves environmentalists, compared to 57 per-
cent of all Americans. They overwhelmingly believe that protecting the environment is more im-
portant than the economy, even if it costs jobs or economic growth (88% of the Alarmed vs. 55% of
the population). Asked about the impact of global warming on other species of plants and animals,
on humans, and on themselves, they express far higher concern than the other segments on every
question.
Religious Affiliation and Participation (Table 23)
The Alarmed are slightly less likely to attend religious services than members of other segments.
They are also less likely to describe themselves as “born again” or evangelical (16% Alarmed vs. 27%
population), and slightly more likely to say that they have no religion (19% Alarmed vs. 14% popu-
lation), or that they are Catholic (26% Alarmed vs. 22% population).
Media Use and Information Seeking
The Alarmed follow news on global warming closely and seek it out. They’re highly attentive to po-
litical, environmental and scientific news, and higher than average users of most media, including on-
line newspapers, the Internet, and magazines. Their most trusted sources of information on global
warming are scientists, environmental organizations, and Al Gore.
Information Seeking and Attention (Table 25)
Sixty percent of the Alarmed say they don’t need any more information about global warming to
make up their minds – their views are already firmly decided. They do, however, pay a great deal of
attention to the information they encounter: 94 percent say they pay “a lot” or “some” attention to
information on global warming, and in the past month, over a third have actively looked for infor-
mation. The Alarmed also report higher than average attention to information on conserving energy
and close to half have actively looked for information on this topic.
an audience segmentation analysis 37
Trust in Information Sources (Table 26)
The most trusted sources of information on global warming for the Alarmed are scientists: 61 per-
cent strongly trust scientists and another 35 percent somewhat trust them. Environmental organ-
izations are trusted by 95 percent of the Alarmed, and Al Gore, by 92 percent. During the fall
presidential campaign, when these data were gathered, 77 percent said they trusted Barack Obama.
Television weather reporters are trusted by 79 percent and the mainstream news media are trusted
by 61 percent. The Alarmed, however, are less trusting of corporations, religious leaders, and John
McCain than the national average.
Media Exposure (Table 27)
The Alarmed are slightly greater than average users of most media. They are more likely to turn to
the Internet (9.3 hours per week vs. the 8.8 national average), read online newspapers (4.2 days per
week vs. the 3.7 national average), and have the highest number of magazine subscriptions of the six
segments (1.7 vs. 1.4 nationally). During the week, they watch slightly more television than average
(17.6 hours vs. 17.0 nationally); however on the weekend they watch less (8.4 hours vs. 9.0).
Media Attention (Table 28)
The Alarmed are more likely than average to follow political news and world affairs. They are three
times as likely as average to say they follow news of the environment very closely (24% vs. 7% over-
all), and they attend more closely to news about science and technology, with 54 percent saying they
follow these topics somewhat or very closely. They also pay closer than average attention to local
weather forecasts and news about health, business and finance, and people and events in their com-
munities. They are less likely than average to follow sports.
In terms of specific media content, the Alarmed watch national network news and the Sunday morn-
ing news programs, such as Meet the Press, more often than the average. They are greater than aver-
age users of CNN and National Public Radio (NPR). The Alarmed are also greater than average users
of more liberal media programming – including The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Re-
port with Stephen Colbert, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and MSNBC. By contrast, they are
less frequent users of more conservative programming – including The Fox News CABLE Channel,
Hannity & Colmes, The O’Reilly Factor with Bill O’Reilly, and Rush Limbaugh’s radio show.
38 global warming’s six americas 2009
the concerned
(33% of American Adults)
Beliefs & Issue Involvement
The Concerned are convinced that global warming is happening,
although they are less certain than the Alarmed. They are distinctly
less involved with the issue than the Alarmed, yet they still have
high levels of concern. Most of the Concerned believe there is a
scientific consensus that global warming is happening, and over-
whelmingly say human activities are the cause of the problem.
They are less likely to view global warming as personally threat-
ening or happening here and now than the Alarmed, but still dis-
tinctly more than members of the other four segments.
Certainty (Table 1)
Nearly all of the Concerned believe that global warming is occurring,
but not all are completely certain: 30 percent say they are extremely
sure, 43 percent say they are very sure, and 21 percent say they are some-
what sure; only 5 percent are not at all sure or don’t know if global
warming is occurring. While a large majority (72%) say they could not
easily change their minds on the issue, 28 percent say they could.
Involvement (Table 2)
Only 12 percent of the Concerned have thought about global warming “a lot,” while 54 percent have
thought about it “some,” and 31 percent “a little.” Only 37 percent of the Concerned say the issue is ei-
ther very or extremely important to them, with 61 percent that say it is “somewhat important.” Like-
wise, only 15 percent are very worried about global warming, while 78 percent are somewhat worried.
Over a third (38%) say that they have personally experienced the impacts of global warming.
Perceived Knowledge & Beliefs (Table 3)
A majority of the Concerned say they are well informed on the causes, consequences, and ways to
reduce global warming, although few indicate that they feel very well informed. Almost all believe
that human activities cause global warming, with 79 percent saying it is mostly caused by human
activities, and 7 percent saying it is caused by a combination of human activities and natural changes
in the environment. Nearly two-thirds (64%) think that most scientists believe global warming is
occurring, 24 percent think there is a lot of disagreement, and 11 percent don’t know.
Nearly three-quarters of the Concerned hold one of two conceptual models about how the climate
system works. The most widely held model is that of a gradually changing climate that will eventu-
ally lead to dangerous impacts (43%). The other common model is that the climate system has thresh-
olds or tipping points that – if crossed – will have dangerous effects (30%).
Risk Perceptions (Table 4)
The Concerned believe global warming poses a significant threat to people. They are less likely than
the Alarmed, but more likely than members of other four segments, to believe it will harm them per-
an audience segmentation analysis 39
sonally, and they believe global warming to be an even bigger threat to people in distant locales and
to future generations of people.
Half of the Concerned (50%) think that global warming is harming people in other parts of the world
now, 44 percent think that people in the United States are already being harmed, although relatively few
believe that they themselves (9%) or their families (10%) are in a great deal of danger. Over two-thirds
(68%) believe that future generations of people face a great deal of danger due to global warming.
The majority of the Concerned believe a range of bad outcomes will become more common over the
next 20 years if nothing is done to address global warming.
For example, most believe there will be many more severe heat waves (62%), droughts and water
shortages (62%), extinctions of plant and animal species (58%), floods (56%), more intense hurri-
canes (55%), forest fires (54%), famines and food shortages (52%), and large minorities believe there
will be many more people living in poverty (45%) or as refugees (42%), and that it’s very likely that
global warming will cause melting ice caps and glaciers (79%), and that large coastal cities will have
to be abandoned due to rising sea levels (48%).
Finally, nearly a fifth (18%) of the Concerned believe that thousands of people are currently dying
each year due to global warming, another 3 percent believe that millions are currently dying, but over
half of this group say they don’t know. Over a third (38%) believe that in 50 years, thousands or mil-
lions of people will die annually from global warming.
Outcomes Expected from National Action to Reduce Global Warming (Table 5)
Almost all the Concerned believe that taking national action to reduce global warming will provide
a better life for our children and grandchildren (84%), save many plant and animal species from ex-
tinction (86%), improve people’s health (75%), create green jobs and a stronger economy (70%),
prevent the destruction of most life on the planet (69%), and protect God’s creation (60%). When
asked which reason for action was most important to them personally, the Concerned were most
likely to select providing a better life for our children and grandchildren (30%), protecting God’s
creation (18%), and preventing the destruction of most life on the planet (13%).
The Concerned are much less likely to believe that national action to reduce global warming would lead
to more government regulation (39%), cause energy prices to rise (23%), cost jobs and harm our econ-
omy (9%), interfere with the free market (5%), harm poor people more than it helps them (5%), or un-
dermine American sovereignty (3%). Of these potential outcomes, the Concerned are most concerned
that national action will cause energy prices to rise (33%) or lead to more government regulation (22%).
Almost half of the Concerned foresee only positive outcomes from national action to reduce global warm-
ing (48%), while 51 percent see both positive and negative outcomes. When provided their top reasons
for and against national action and asked to weigh them, this 51 percent of the Concerned overwhelm-
ingly (98%) conclude that the United States should nonetheless take steps to reduce global warming.
Beliefs about Potential Outcomes and the Effectiveness of Actions (Table 6)
Most members of the Concerned are uncertain about the potential for humans to successfully re-
duce global warming. Nearly two-thirds (64%) say we could reduce warming, but it’s unclear if we
40 global warming’s six americas 2009
will, while 24 percent say we could, but we won’t. Only 8 percent express confidence that humans will
reduce global warming successfully.
When asked to consider the energy saving actions they have already taken or would like to take over
the next 12 months, only 15 percent of the Concerned believe that these actions would reduce their
own contribution to global warming a lot, suggesting that many believe they could be doing more
as individuals. A majority of the Concerned, however, believe global warming could be reduced a lot
if most people in the U.S. took these actions (55%) or if most people in modern industrialized coun-
tries did so (79%). The Concerned strongly believe that individual actions can make a difference in
reducing global warming (81%), but do not believe that new technologies can solve the problem
without individuals having to make big changes in their lives (74%).
Policy and National Response Preferences
In line with their sense that global warming is a serious threat to others, the Concerned consider the
issue a high national priority, strongly favor multiple policy solutions to the problem, and want gov-
ernment, industry, and citizens to do more to address the threat. Their views on these issues, how-
ever, are not nearly as strong as those of the Alarmed.
Issue Priorities for the President and Congress (Table 7)
At the time of the survey, the Concerned rated global warming as the 8th (of 11) most important
issue for the President and Congress; 21 percent said it should be a very high priority for the new
administration and Congress, and another 50 percent said said it should be a high priority. Among
other environmental issues, 30 percent of the Concerned rated global warming as a very high pri-
ority (2nd only to water pollution). When asked to select which one environmental issue was most
important to them, 36 percent said global warming – above all other issues.
Support for a National Response (Table 8)
The vast majority of the Concerned believe the United States should act to reduce its greenhouse
gas emissions, regardless of what other countries do (87%). Forty percent say that this should be a
large-scale effort, even if it has large economic costs, and 55 percent say it should be a medium-scale
effort, even if it has moderate economic costs.
The Concerned support a variety of climate and energy policies, including funding research into re-
newable energy sources, such as solar and wind power (98% “somewhat” or “strongly support”);
providing tax rebates to people who install solar panels or purchase fuel-efficient vehicles (94%);
regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant (92%); requiring auto makers to increase fuel-efficiency to
45 mpg (87%); signing an international treaty requiring the U.S. to cuts its emissions of carbon diox-
ide 90% by the year 2050 (83%); requiring electric utilities to produce at least 20 percent of their en-
ergy from renewable sources (82%), and providing a government subsidy to replace old water heaters,
air conditioners, light bulbs, and insulation (82%).
Less popular policies among this segment are: creating a national cap-and-trade market (64% – but
only 12% support strongly); building more nuclear power plants (57%); drilling in the Arctic Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge (47%); and increasing taxes by 25 cents per gallon and returning the revenues
to taxpayers by lowering the federal income tax (36%).
an audience segmentation analysis 41
Expectations of Elected Officials, Corporations, and Citizens Themselves (Table 9)
Most members of the Concerned want to see more action to reduce global warming from elected of-
ficials, corporations and citizens. Nearly all (92%) say that corporations and industry and citizens
themselves should be doing more or much more. A large majority (89%) say the U.S. Congress
should be doing more or much more to reduce global warming, and over 80 percent say their state
legislators and Governor should be as well.
Personal Actions and Intentions
Despite their desire for greater political action on global warming (yet like most members of the gen-
eral public), the Concerned report relatively low rates of political activism. Conversely, they report con-
siderably higher rates of consumer activism. The Concerned are about average in terms of investing in
energy efficiency improvements to their homes and engaging in home energy conservation, and, like
the rest of the population, are relatively unlikely to be using alternative forms of transportation.
Political Activism (Table 10)
Only 7% of the Concerned have contacted government officials at least once through letters, emails,
or phone calls to urge them to take action on global warming, although 13 percent plan to do so more
frequently over the next year. This is not a role that appears to come easily to the Concerned: Over
a third say they don’t see themselves as being “activists” and less than half are moderately or com-
pletely confident that they could take such action in the next year. Additional barriers they cite that
prevent them from contacting officials more often are: they aren’t sure it would make a difference
(23%); they don’t know how (21%); they are too busy (21%); and it takes too much effort (19%).
Sixteen percent of the Concerned volunteer for or donate money to organizations working to reduce
global warming, and 17% plan to increase their volunteerism and donations in the coming year.
The single largest barrier that prevents members of this group from volunteering or donating is that
they can’t afford to (56%).
About a quarter of the Concerned (27%) believe that volunteering and donating to organizations
working on global warming are “pretty effective” or “highly effective” ways to get government of-
ficials to take action, while only 16 percent believe that contacting officials directly through letters,
emails or the phone is effective.
Consumer Activism (Table 11)
The Concerned engage in high levels of consumer activism on global warming: 43 percent have rewarded
companies at least once in the past year by buying their products if the company is taking steps to reduce
global warming; while 25 percent have punished companies that oppose steps to reduce global warming
by not buying their products. These rates are likely to increase, as 54 percent plan to reward companies
more frequently in the next 12 months, and 56 percent plan to punish companies more frequently. The pri-
mary barrier preventing even higher rates of consumer activism is knowledge: 80 percent of the Con-
cerned say they don’t know which companies to punish, while 24 percent say they can’t afford to do so.
Energy Efficiency Improvements (Tables 12 & 13)
In terms of energy-efficiency improvements, the Concerned are generally similar to the rest of the
population. They report slightly above average rates of purchasing energy efficient water heaters
42 global warming’s six americas 2009
(63%) and compact fluorescent light bulbs (50%), and they are the segment most likely to be plan-
ning to change most of their light bulbs to CFLs in the next year (33%). Like all other segments, the
primary barrier preventing the Concerned from making efficiency improvements is the cost: be-
tween 28 percent and 53 percent of those who had not made these improvements said that cost was
a barrier.
Energy Conservation (Tables 14, 15 & 16)
Most of the Concerned say they turn off unneeded lights all the time (66%).5A third (37%) say they
lower their thermostats in winter all the time, and 35 percent say they raise their thermostats in sum-
mer or limit their use of air conditioning; the primary barrier to both of these actions is a preference
for a more comfortable temperature in the house.
The Concerned report average – which is to say low – rates of conserving energy in their trans-
portation choices: only 7 percent always use public transportation or car pools; while only 6 percent
always walk or bike instead of driving. They cite a number of barriers to increasing their use of pub-
lic transportation and carpools: 34 percent say they don’t have the option; 33 percent cite lack of avail-
ability; 30 percent say that it’s too inconvenient. Over half (57%) say they would walk or bike instead
of driving more often, but the distances they travel are too far. A small minority (13%) do not intend
to bike or walk more often or to increase their use of public transportation and carpools because they
drive fuel-efficient cars, and many indicate they are already doing these things as much as they can
(20% for public transport and 20% for biking and walking).
When listing the benefits they see in conservation actions, the Concerned are less likely than the
Alarmed, but much more likely than other segments to cite reducing global warming as a benefit. For
each of the energy conservation actions, between 35 percent and 64 percent of the Concerned cite re-
ducing global warming as a benefit.
Interpersonal Communication and Social Influence (Table 18)
Fewer than one-third (30%) of the Concerned say they like to discuss global warming with other
people, although 47 percent say that they discuss it with family and friends occasionally, and 42 per-
cent have spoken with at least one person about the topic in the last two weeks. Only 8 percent say
that when discussing global warming, they give more information than they receive, and few be-
lieve that others consider them a good source of information (7%), or that people come to them for
advice on the issue (5%).
Demographics, Social Characteristics and Values
The Concerned – who are fairly representative of the full diversity of America in terms of gender,
age, incomes, education, and ethnicities – are somewhat more likely to be moderate Democrats with
an average rate of involvement in civic activities. They hold values and attitudes that are in many
ways similar to the American norm, although they are somewhat more likely to have moderately
strong egalitarian values and to identify themselves as environmentalists.
5The questions about benefits (as well as all the other questions on energy efficiency and conservation actions) were asked early in the
survey before the respondents became aware that global warming was the primary focus of the survey. Thus, their answers were not
biased by an awareness of the primary focus of the survey.
an audience segmentation analysis 43
Demographics (Table 24)
Just over half (52%) of the Concerned are women. Their other demographics – including age, in-
come, education, and ethnicity – are quite similar to the national averages.
Civic Engagement (Table 19)
The Concerned have engaged, on average, in 0.7 types of civic activity (from a list of 11) in the past
year, which is similar to national averages. The types of action they are most likely to have taken are:
attending public meetings on town or school affairs (13%); contacting politicians (12%); and serv-
ing on a committee of a local organization (10%).
Political Affiliation and Ideology (Table 20)
Forty-seven percent of the Concerned identify themselves as Democrats, and another 23 percent say
they are Independents. About one-third (35%) say they are somewhat to very liberal, nearly half
(45%) say they are moderates, while only 20 percent identify themselves as conservatives.
Values and General Attitudes (Table 21)
The Concerned hold moderate egalitarian values, believing somewhat more strongly than average in
a more equal distribution of wealth, and in government programs that help people in poverty and
guarantee people’s basic needs; they believe that discrimination against minorities is still a serious
problem. They are less likely than average to hold individualistic values.
In areas where religion and science conflict, the Concerned have a relatively centrist perspective:
About half (53%) believe in human evolution, yet 53 percent also agree that the world was created in
six days. Regarding the overall value of science, 82 percent disagree with the statement, “Overall,
modern science does more harm than good,” all of which are consistent with national averages.
Environmental Beliefs and Concern (Table 22)
Over two-thirds (68%) of the Concerned identify themselves as environmentalists, compared to 57
percent of all Americans. They strongly believe that protecting the environment is more important
than the economy, even if it costs jobs or economic growth (66% of the Concerned vs. 55% of the
population). They have greater than average concern about the impact of global warming on other
species, on humans, and on themselves, but their level of concern is not nearly as high as members
of the Alarmed segment.
Religious Affiliation and Participation (Table 23)
The Concerned have the lowest rates of religious attendance of all the segments.
They are less likely than average to describe themselves as “born again” or evangelical (21% of the
Concerned vs. 27% population), but are otherwise distributed among the religions in similar pro-
portions as the public as a whole.
Media Use and Information Seeking
The Concerned report average rates of media use. They also say that they need additional informa-
tion about global warming before firmly making up their mind about the issue, but tend not to pay
much attention to information about global warming or to take steps to seek it out.
44 global warming’s six americas 2009
Information Seeking and Attention (Table 25)
Most members of the Concerned segment say that they need more information – a little more (26%),
some more (42%), or a lot more (25%) – before firmly making up their mind about global warming.
Ironically, however, they tend not to pay a great deal of attention to information about global warm-
ing: 10 percent say they pay “a lot” of attention and 44 percent pay “some” attention, and in the past
month, only 5 percent have actively looked for information “a lot” or “some.” They also report pay-
ing average rates of attention to information on conserving energy, and nearly one-quarter (24%)
have looked for information on this topic in the past 30 days.
Trust in Information Sources (Table 26)
The most trusted source of information on global warming for the Concerned are scientists: 36%
strongly trust scientists and another 57% somewhat trust them. Environmental organizations are
trusted by 84 percent of the Concerned, as are family and friends (81%). The next most trusted
sources are TV weather reporters (76%), Al Gore (75%), Barack Obama (64%), and mainstream
news media (61%).
Media Exposure (Table 27)
The Concerned have average rates of use of most media, except radio, on which they spend less time
than the national average. In an average week, they read a newspaper 3.7 times, read news online 3.9
times, listen to radio 6.9 hours, watch 26.4 hours of TV, and use the Internet 9.2 hours.
Media Attention (Table 28)
The Concerned pay roughly average attention to political news of all types, with the exception of
health news and the local weather, to which they pay a bit more than average amounts of attention.
They are somewhat more likely than average to watch national nightly news on (or use the websites
of ) CBS, ABC, or NBC, to watch MSNBC, CNN, local TV news, and are somewhat less likely than
average to listen to Rush Limbaugh.
an audience segmentation analysis 45
the cautious
(19% of American Adults)
Beliefs and Issue Involvement
The majority of the Cautious say they believe that global warming is
occurring, but this belief is relatively weak, with the majority saying
they could easily change their minds. They haven’t thought much
about global warming, and do not view it as personally important.
Almost half, however, say that they do worry about the issue. They
perceive themselves as having some information on global warming,
but not as being very well informed. About half believe it has human
causes, and over a third believe that scientists disagree a great deal on
the topic. They do not perceive it as being dangerous to themselves or
to other people alive today, but expect greater harm to future genera-
tions and to plant and animal species.
Certainty (Table 1)
A majority (59%) of the Cautious say they believe that global warm-
ing is occurring, while 31 percent say they don’t know. They are rel-
atively uncertain, however, with only 5 percent saying they are
“extremely sure” and 27 percent saying they are “very sure” global
warming is happening. Almost 60 percent say they could easily change their minds on the issue.
Involvement (Table 2)
The Cautious have not given global warming much thought. Two-thirds say they have thought
about it “a little” (56%) or “not at all (13%).” They do not see global warming as very important per-
sonally and none say the issue is extremely important to them. Although almost half say they worry
about the problem, they are not very worried: 47 percent say they are “somewhat worried,” while
49 percent say they are “not too worried.” More than eight in ten (83%) say they have not person-
ally experienced global warming.
Perceived Knowledge & Beliefs (Table 3)
The Cautious say they have some knowledge about global warming, but not a great deal: Close to
90 percent say they are either “not very well informed” or “fairly well informed” on the causes, con-
sequences, and ways to reduce global warming. Half believe it is caused mostly by human activities,
while the rest believe it is caused by natural changes in the environment (43%) or a combination of
the two (6%). Forty-two percent believe that there is “a lot of disagreement” among scientists over
whether global warming is occurring, while a slightly smaller number (37%) believe that scientists
are in agreement that warming is occurring. One in ten say they don’t know.
The Cautious are largely divided among three different conceptual models of how the climate sys-
tem works. Almost a third (31%) believe that the Earth’s climate is random and unpredictable. Just
over a quarter (29%) believe that climate change will gradually lead to dangerous effects, while an-
other quarter (24%) believe that the climate has thresholds or tipping points that – if crossed – will
have dangerous effects.
46 global warming’s six americas 2009
Risk Perceptions (Table 4)
The Cautious largely see global warming as a distant problem. Three-quarters of the Cautious believe
that climate change will have little (44%) or no (32%) impact on them personally. Half say that people
in developing countries will experience moderate to great harm, while close to 90 percent believe that
future generations and other species will be harmed. Fifty-two percent say that global warming won’t
start to harm people around the world until 50 or 100 years from today. A quarter expect “a great deal”
and almost half expect “a moderate amount” (47%) of harm to future generations of people.
Majorities of the Cautious believe a range of bad outcomes will become more common over the next
20 years if nothing is done to address global warming, but most do not expect large increases in the
numbers of these events, saying that they expect “a few more,” rather than “many more.” About two-
thirds believe we will see more droughts (68%), famines (67%), and severe heat waves (66%), ex-
tinctions of plant and animal species (64%), forest fires (62%), intense hurricanes (61%), and floods
(61%). Less than half expect increased numbers of people living in poverty (46%), disease epidemics
(46%), or refugees (45%). Majorities of the Cautious believe global warming will cause the melting
of ice caps and glaciers (80%), expanding deserts (63%), and the abandonment of large coastal cities
due to rising sea levels (53%), though most rate these as “somewhat likely,” not “very likely.”
Finally, many of the Cautious admit they don’t know much about the potential human health conse-
quences of climate change, with 44 percent answering “don’t know” when asked to estimate current
deaths, injuries and illness; and 49 percent saying they “don’t know” when asked for estimates for 50 years
from now. Close to a third believe there are no injuries, illnesses or deaths being caused by global warm-
ing today; and similar numbers project that only hundreds to thousands will be hurt or killed in 50 years.
Outcomes Expected from National Action to Reduce Global Warming (Table 5)
Majorities of the Cautious believe that taking national action to reduce global warming will provide
a better life for our children and grandchildren (65%), save many plant and animal species from ex-
tinction (60%), and improve people’s health (54%). When asked which reason for action was most
important to them personally, the Cautious were most likely to select providing a better life for our
children and grandchildren (32%) or protecting God’s creation (19%).
Their primary concerns are that national action to reduce global warming will lead to more gov-
ernment regulation (45%) or cause energy prices to rise (38%). Of these potential concerns, the
Cautious are most concerned that national action will cause energy prices to rise (37%), or lead to
more government regulation (31%).
While just over a third of the Cautious foresee only positive outcomes from national action to reduce
global warming (35%), 55 percent expect both positive and negative outcomes. When provided their top
reasons for and against national action and asked to weigh them, this 55 percent of the Cautious over-
whelmingly (93%) said that the United States should nonetheless take steps to reduce global warming.
Beliefs about Potential Outcomes and the Effectiveness of Actions (Table 6)
Half of the Cautious say that humans could reduce global warming, but it’s unclear if we will, and
another third believe we could but won’t. Only 5 percent express confidence that humans can and
an audience segmentation analysis 47
will reduce global warming, while another 11 percent say it’s not possible for humans to reduce
warming, even if it is occurring.
When asked to consider the energy saving actions they have already taken or would like to take over
the next 12 months, almost half of the Cautious (48%) believe that their personal energy-saving ac-
tions would reduce their own contribution to global warming only “a little,” while another third be-
lieve their actions would reduce their contribution “some” (31%). They also believe, however, that if
most people in modern industrialized nations were to take these same actions, it would reduce global
warming “a lot” (48%) or “some” (39%). Sixty-two percent believe that the actions of a single indi-
vidual can make a difference in global warming, while 40 percent believe that new technologies will
solve the problem, without individuals having to make big changes in their lives.
Policy and National Response Preferences
In line with their beliefs that global warming is not particularly dangerous or threatening, the Cau-
tious rank it as a relatively low issue priority and express weak support for climate and energy poli-
cies. They desire more action from corporations, government, and citizens, but not much more, and
many feel that government is already doing the right amount.
Issue Priorities for the President and Congress (Table 7)
The Cautious ranked global warming last of 11 issue priorities for the new administration and Con-
gress. Eight percent said it should be a very high priority, while twice as many (16%) said it should
be a low priority. Close to half (47%) believed it should be a medium priority, and somewhat less than
a third (29%) rated it as a high priority. Among nine environmental issues, the Cautious ranked
global warming fifth, and only 14 percent said it should be the top environmental priority for the pres-
ident and Congress.
Support for a National Response (Table 8)
Over half of the Cautious (56%) say that the United States should reduce greenhouse gas emis-
sions on its own, regardless of what other countries do. A quarter say they don’t know, and another
12 percent say the U.S. should act only if other industrialized nations also do so. Only 19 percent be-
lieve the U.S. should make a large-scale effort, even if it has large economic costs. By contrast, over
half (53%) believe the U.S. should make a “medium-scale effort, even if it has moderate economic
costs, while a quarter (26%) believe the nation should make only a small-scale effort.
The Cautious support a variety of climate and energy policies, including funding research into re-
newable energy sources, such as solar and wind power (90% “somewhat” or “strongly support”);
providing tax rebates to people who install solar panels or purchase fuel-efficient vehicles (84%);
requiring auto makers to increase fuel-efficiency to 45 mpg (81%); regulating carbon dioxide as a
pollutant (80%); providing a government subsidy to replace old water heaters, air conditioners,
light bulbs, and insulation (71%); drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (70%); requiring
electric utilities to produce at least 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources (66%), build-
ing more nuclear power plants (64%); and signing an international treaty requiring the U.S. to cuts
its emissions of carbon dioxide 90% by the year 2050 (62%). Only about a third of the Cautious,
however, “strongly support” these policies.
48 global warming’s six americas 2009
Less popular policies among this segment are: creating a national cap-and-trade market (55% – but
only 8% support strongly); and increasing taxes by 25 cents per gallon and returning the revenues
to taxpayers by lowering the federal income tax (29% – 6% strongly support).
Expectations of Elected Officials, Corporations, and Citizens Themselves (Table 9)
Most members of the Cautious want to see more action to reduce global warming from elected offi-
cials, corporations and citizens, but are not demanding an aggressive effort, saying they want “more”
– but not “much more” – action; many say that the current levels of action are “the right amount.”
Their strongest desire for increased effort is from corporations and industry: 29 percent say corpo-
rations should be doing “much more,” and 42 percent say they should be doing “more.” Two-thirds
say citizens themselves should be doing more, while a quarter say citizens are doing the right amount
(28%). Over 45 percent say that all levels of government – federal, state, and local – are doing the
right amount or too much.
Personal Actions and Intentions
The Cautious have low levels of political and consumer activism regarding global warming. They also ex-
press little intention to increase their level of political activity in the coming year, but a fifth say they in-
tend to increase their consumer activism. They are slightly less likely than average to be making
energy-efficiency improvements to their homes, and they are much lower in the adoption of compact flu-
orescent lighting. Like the rest of the population, they also are unlikely to be using alternative forms of
transportation, citing numerous barriers that inhibit them from doing so.
Political Activism (Table 10)
Levels of political activism among the Cautious are low: Only 4 percent have contacted government
officials through letters, emails, or phone calls to urge them to take action on global warming at least
once over the past year; 5 percent have attended a meeting or rally on the issue; and 6 percent have
volunteered or donated money to an organization working to reduce global warming. Between 6
percent and 10 percent intend to increase their activities over the coming year, however, of this group,
only a third or less are confident in their ability to follow-through on their intentions. Conversely,
20 percent say they intend to engage in these three political activities less frequently in the coming
year. The Cautious cite numerous barriers that prevent them from political activism: a third to almost
half say they are not activists; a third believe it wouldn’t make any difference if they contacted offi-
cials or attended meeting or rallies; almost half say they can’t afford to make donations; and about
one in five say they are too busy, it’s too much effort, or they don’t know how to take one or more of
these three actions. Almost a fifth, however, say that none of the barriers listed would stop them
from contacting officials, volunteering, or donating, suggesting the potential for increased action if
their motivation to do so increases.
Few of the Cautious believe that donating and volunteering are “pretty effective” or “highly effective”
ways to get government officials to take action on global warming; only 1 percent believe contacting
officials is highly effective, and 3 percent believe volunteering and donating is highly effective. A
quarter to a third believe these actions have no effect, and one in five says they don’t know whether
political activism has an effect.
an audience segmentation analysis 49
Consumer Activism (Table 11)
While the Cautious report among the lowest levels of consumer activism of the six segments, some
do reward and punish companies through their purchases: 19 percent say they have rewarded com-
panies taking action to reduce global warming by buying their products, while 13 percent say they
have punished companies that oppose steps to reduce global warming by avoiding their products.
Over 20 percent, however, say they intend to engage in these actions more frequently over the com-
ing year. Almost three-quarters say a primary barrier to consumer activism is not knowing which
companies to punish (73%); about a third believe their actions won’t have any influence on a com-
pany (32%); and 29 percent say they can’t afford to do this.
Energy Efficiency Improvements (Tables 12 & 13)
In terms of energy-efficiency improvements, the Cautious are only slightly less likely than most other
segments of the population to have made home improvements, and they are about average in their
intentions for the coming year. Just over a third have installed compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)
– 9 percent below the national adoption rate. An additional 24 percent intend to replace their bulbs
in the coming year. The Cautious also have among the lowest ownership of fuel-efficient vehicles
(18%), and slightly lower than average intentions to purchase one in the coming year (18%).
The primary barrier inhibiting the Cautious from making major investments in energy-efficiency
improvements is the cost: between 29 percent and 46 percent of those who had not made each of
the improvements said that cost was a barrier. Many also said that they “don’t need a new one yet,”
ranging from 32 percent for CFLs to 46 percent for a new car. A quarter of the Cautious say they have
not caulked and weather-stripped their homes because they don’t know how, the highest rate in
the country.
Energy Conservation (Tables 14, 15 & 16)
Over half of the Cautious say they turn off unneeded lights all the time (56%). A third say they raise
the thermostats in summer or use less air conditioning all the time, and a third say they always lower
their thermostats in winter. The primary barrier to both actions is a preference for a more comfort-
able temperature in the house.
Like other segments of the population, the Cautious do not use alternative forms of transportation
much: only 7 percent always bike or walk instead of driving; while only 7 percent always use pub-
lic transportation or car pools. They cite a number of barriers to increasing their use of public trans-
portation and carpools: 32 percent say they don’t have the option; 35 percent cite lack of availability;
26 percent say that it’s too inconvenient. Almost two-thirds say that the distances they travel are too
far for them to bike or walk (61%). Over a fifth say they can’t walk or bike due to their health or
physical condition (21%), or because the weather makes it too uncomfortable (20%). A minority do
not use alternative forms of transportation because they drive fuel-efficient cars (11% for walking
and biking; 13% for public transportation), and a few indicate they are already doing these things
as much as they can (14% for public transport and 18% for biking and walking).
When listing the benefits they see in conservation actions, the Cautious focus primarily on saving
money and energy. Reducing global warming was cited as a reason by between 15 percent (walk or
bike) and 29 percent (using less cooling in the summer).
50 global warming’s six americas 2009
Interpersonal Communication and Social Influence (Table 18)
A third of the Cautious say they never discuss global warming with their family and friends (35%),
and three-quarters say they haven’t talked to anyone about it in the last two weeks (78%). Only 11
percent say they like to talk to other people about global warming. Over 90 percent say that people
do not come to them for advice on global warming (92%), and two-thirds say that other people do
not consider them a good source of information on the issue (69%). Over half say that most of their
friends are not trying to act in ways that reduce global warming (58%).
Social and Demographic Characteristics
The Cautious are evenly divided between moderate Democrats and Republicans, with relatively low
levels of civic engagement, and traditional religious beliefs. In general, their values and demographic
characteristics closely track American averages.
Demographics (Table 24)
Fifty-three percent of the Alarmed are men, and they are somewhat more likely to be under 45 (55%
vs. 47% in the population). They are most likely to be high school graduates (37%) or to have some
college (28%) and to have incomes between $40kand $60k. Their ethnicity closely mirrors the
population as a whole.
Civic Engagement (Table 19)
The Cautious report lower than average civic engagement, averaging .5 different types of civic activ-
ity (from a list of 11) in the past year. The types of actions the Cautious are most likely to have taken
are: contacting politicians (10%); attending public meetings on town or school affairs (10%); or
serving on a committee of a local organization (7%).
Political Affiliation and Ideology (Table 20)
The Cautious are evenly split between the Democratic and Republican parties (32% and 33%, re-
spectively), with 18 percent Independents, and 17 percent saying they have no political party. Ideo-
logically, they cluster near the middle of the spectrum, with only 9 percent saying they are very
conservative and 3 percent very liberal. Forty percent describe themselves as moderates.
Values and General Attitudes (Table 21)
The Cautious do not express strongly held values on any of the dimensions measured, with most re-
sponses near the middle of the scale, neither strongly agreeing or disagreeing, and generally similar
to national averages. Over half disagree that wealth should be more equally divided among nations and
that government should guarantee all basic needs; but the Cautious support government programs
to eradicate poverty and agree that discrimination among minorities is a serious problem. They express
stronger opinions on government intervention in people’s lives and in business, with majorities op-
posing intervention, and agreeing that people should be allowed to make as much money as they can.
In areas of conflict between science and religion, the Cautious tend to hold traditional religious be-
liefs: 60 percent do not believe that humans evolved from other species, and a similar proportion be-
lieve that the world was literally created in six days (59%). Nonetheless, they believe in the positive
contributions of science, with 79 percent disagreeing with the statement that “overall, modern sci-
ence does more harm than good.”
an audience segmentation analysis 51
Environmental Beliefs and Concern (Table 22)
Just under half of the Cautious consider themselves environmentalists (47%), compared to 57 per-
cent of the full population, and slightly more than half believe that economic growth is more im-
portant than environmental protection, even if it causes environmental problems (52%). Asked about
their concern over the impact of global warming on other species of plants and animals, on humans,
and on themselves, they express slightly lower than average concern on every question, with the sin-
gle exception of “your children,” where their responses equal the population average.
Religious Affiliation and Participation (Table 23)
Despite the traditional religious beliefs expressed by the Cautious, they do not attend religious serv-
ices any more than the national average and are no more likely to identify themselves as “born-again”
or evangelical.
Media Use and Information Seeking
The Cautious report average rates media use. Like the Concerned, the Cautious say they need more
information on global warming, but do not attend closely to the information they encounter or take
steps to seek it out, and they pay the least attention of all the groups to news on the environment.
They are not very trusting of most sources of information, and pay lower than average attention to
most types of news.
Information Seeking and Attention (Table 25)
The Cautious say they need more information on the issue of global warming to make up their
minds: 39 percent say they need “a lot more” information, and another 38 percent say they need
“some more.” They do not, however, pay a great deal of attention to the information they encounter:
64 percent say they pay “a little” attention to information on global warming, and 17 percent say they
pay “none.” None of this group say they pay “a lot” of attention to global warming information. They
do, however, attend to information on conserving energy (8% “a lot” and 33% “some”). In the past
month, however, only 5 percent have actively looked for energy conservation information “some,”
while 79 percent say they have not done this at all.
Trust in Information Sources (Table 26)
The Cautious do not strongly trust any sources of information on global warming. Their most trusted
source of information is scientists, but only 29 percent strongly trust them, 12 percent lower than the
population average. Here as elsewhere, they do not express strongly held opinions one way or the
other. They trust environmental organizations less than average, with 43 percent saying they do not
trust them. And they are less trusting of both Barack Obama (7% strongly trust, while 13% in the pop-
ulation say they strongly trust him) and Al Gore (6% vs. 15%)than the national average.
Media Exposure (Table 27)
The Cautious are slightly less likely than average to read a newspaper, either in print (3.4 vs. 3.6 days
per week) or online (3.3 vs. 3.7). They spend more time listening to the radio, however, (10.7 hours
per week vs. 8.9), and slightly more time watching television (26.7 hours per week vs. 26.0).
52 global warming’s six americas 2009
Media Attention (Table 28)
Like the majority of Americans, the Cautious turn most often to television for news (58%), and to
the Internet for information on products they want to buy (49%). The majority say they understand
major news events better if they see pictures and video showing what happened, instead of reading
or hearing about it (58% prefer pictures).
They follow most types of news less closely than the average, and their attention to environmental
news is the lowest of the segments: only 1 percent of the Cautious say they follow environmental news
closely, compared to 7 percent of the population, while 86 percent say they follow environmental
news only a little (63%) or not at all (23%). They pay lower than average attention to news about the
nation (9% lower); world affairs (5% lower); health (5% lower); the weather (5% lower); state pol-
itics (4% lower); local politics (3% lower); and science and technology (3% lower).
In terms of specific media content, their media habits strongly follow national averages, with expo-
sure levels that mirror or are slightly lower than average. Forty-two percent say they often watch
local TV news, their highest reported viewership of specific programs or genres. Close to a quarter
say they often watch prime-time dramas (22%), and 18 percent say they often watch the Weather
Channel. They are slightly more likely than average to closely follow news about sports (15% vs.
13%) and fashion and style trends (4% vs. 2%).
an audience segmentation analysis 53
the disengaged
(12% of American Adults)
Beliefs and Issue Involvement
The central distinguishing feature of the Disengaged is their lack of
knowledge or opinions about global warming – as many as 100 per-
cent of this group respond “I don’t know” to a range of questions
about global warming, and most say they have given the issue lit-
tle thought or attention. The majority say they don’t know whether
global warming is occurring and don’t know what its effects will be
on themselves or others.
Certainty (Table 1)
Over half the Disengaged simply say they don’t know whether global
warming is happening (53%), while another 28 percent are either “not
at all” or only “somewhat sure” it is happening. Only 16 percent are ei-
ther “very” or “extremely sure.” Close to three-quarters of the Disen-
gaged say they could easily change their mind on the issue (72%).
Involvement (Table 2)
Almost 90 percent of the Disengaged say they’ve thought about
global warming only “a little” (48%) or “not at all” (41%); almost
none say they have thought about it “a lot.” None say the issue is extremely important to them and
only 6 percent say it is “very important.” Just over half say only that it is “somewhat important.”
Likewise, they are not very worried about the issue: none say they are “very worried,” while only 39
percent say they are “somewhat worried.” Most of the rest say they are “not too worried” (52%).
Eighty percent say they have not personally experienced global warming.
Perceived Knowledge & Beliefs (Table 3)
The Disengaged rate their knowledge about global warming lower than any other segment does.
Only 1 percent say they are “very well informed” about the causes and consequences, while only 2 per-
cent say so about ways to reduce global warming. A quarter or more say they are “not at all informed”
on all three topics, while approximately half rate themselves as “not very well informed.” Almost half
believe global warming is caused mostly by natural changes in the environment (47%), while 39 per-
cent say it is caused mostly by human activities. Over half say they don’t know whether scientists are
in agreement on the issue (57%), while a quarter believe scientists are in agreement that warming is
occurring (23%), and 19 percent believe that there is “a lot of disagreement.”
Over half of the Disengaged believe that the Earth’s climate is random and unpredictable (54%).
Twenty-one percent believe that the climate has thresholds, beyond which dangerous effects will
occur, while 20 percent believe that climate change will only gradually lead to dangerous effects.
Risk Perceptions (Table 4)
When asked how much they think global warming will harm them, other people, and other species,
93 to 100 percent of the Disengaged say they simply don’t know. The highest number of actual an-
54 global warming’s six americas 2009
swers was to a question on the potential harm to plant and animal species: 7 percent of the Disen-
gaged say they would be harmed “a great deal” (3%) or “a moderate amount” (4%). Only 3 percent
believe that they personally or people in the United States will be harmed; none ventured an esti-
mate of harm to future generations.
Large majorities of the Disengaged also have little idea what other types of impacts global warming
will have, with 65 to 80 percent saying they don’t know whether these impacts will occur. They are
most likely to make estimates about the melting of ice caps and glaciers: a third believe this is very
likely (18%) or somewhat likely (16%). Between 20 percent and 25 percent believe global warming
will cause more extreme heat waves, intense hurricanes, plant and animal extinctions, forest fires,
floods, and droughts. The lowest estimates are for potential impacts on humans: only 15 percent be-
lieve there will be increased numbers of refugees, people living in poverty, or disease epidemics.
Only two questions on the threat of global warming did not include a “don’t know” option, and on
these questions we can observe what the Disengaged think when forced to respond: Asked about
the timing of impacts, 29 percent say that people are being harmed now in the U.S. or around the
world (31%); other responses are fairly evenly distributed across the response categories.
When asked to estimate the numbers of injuries, illnesses, and deaths caused by global warming, both
now and 50 years in the future, about 95 percent of the Disengaged say they don’t know.
Outcomes Expected from National Action to Reduce Global Warming (Table 5)
The Disengaged anticipate both fewer positive outcomes of action to reduce global warming and
they have fewer concerns about negative outcomes: About half expect action will save many plant
and animal species from extinction (56%); provide a better life for our children and grandchildren
(52%); and improve people’s health (50%). Close to a quarter (23%) foresee no positive outcomes
at all. When asked which reason for action was most important to them personally, the Disengaged
were most likely to say protecting God’s creation (27%) and providing a better life for our children
and grandchildren (24%).
Over half of the Disengaged express no concerns about negative outcomes of action (54%). One-
quarter believe it will lead to more government regulation (27%) and cause energy prices to rise
(24%). Of those with multiple concerns, the top concern is that it will cost jobs and harm our econ-
omy (39%). Twenty-nine percent say their top concern is that it will cause energy prices to rise, while
21 percent say they are most concerned that it will lead to more government action.
Only a third of the Disengaged foresee both positive and negative outcomes of action to reduce global
warming. Of this group, 88 percent conclude that our nation should act to reduce global warming,
in spite of their concerns.
Beliefs about Potential Outcomes and the Effectiveness of Actions (Table 6)
Half of the Disengaged believe that humans could reduce global warming, but it’s unclear if we
will, and another quarter believe we could, but won’t. Only 5 percent express confidence that hu-
mans can and will reduce global warming, while another 15 percent say it’s not possible for humans
to reduce warming, even if it is occurring.
an audience segmentation analysis 55
When asked to consider the energy saving actions they have already taken or would like to take
over the next 12 months, only 9 percent of the Disengaged believe that their personal energy-sav-
ing actions would reduce their own contribution to global warming “a lot.” Three-quarters believe
their actions would reduce their contributions to warming “some” (39%) or “a little” (36%), while
16 percent believe their actions would not reduce their personal contribution at all. They also be-
lieve, however, that if most people in the developed nations were to engage in these same actions,
it would reduce global warming “a lot” (46%) or “some” (37%). Roughly two-thirds believe that
the actions of a single individual can make a difference in global warming, while less than a quar-
ter (23%) believe that new technologies will solve the problem, without individuals having to make
big changes in their lives.
Policy and National Response Preferences
The Disengaged rate global warming as a low policy priority. The energy and climate policies they
support most strongly are offshore drilling and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A
third do, however, strongly support the funding of research into renewable energy sources, and many
express a desire for corporations, government and citizens to do more to reduce global warming.
Issue Priorities for the President and Congress (Table 7)
While the Disengaged may show little interest in global warming, they are not neutral or disengaged
on other issues: On all 11 national issues they rated as priorities for the incoming president and Con-
gress, the Disengaged rated every issue as a higher priority than the national average, with the sin-
gle exception of global warming. Only 13 percent of the Disengaged said it should be a very high
priority, compared to 21 percent in the nation as a whole, and they ranked it last of the 11. Among nine
environmental issues, the Disengaged rated global warming fifth; 13 percent said it should be the top
environmental priority for the president and Congress, compared to the 31 percent national average.
Support for a National Response (Table 8)
Asked about the conditions under which the United States should act to reduce greenhouse gas emis-
sions – whether alone, or only if other countries do so as well – over half the Disengaged (55%) say
they don’t know. Over a third believe the U.S. should reduce its emissions, regardless of what other
countries do (38%), while none believe the U.S. should not reduce its emissions. Regarding the mag-
nitude of action the U.S. should take, 22 percent believe the U.S. should make a large-scale effort, even
if it has large economic costs, almost half (49%) believe the nation should make a “medium-scale ef-
fort, even if it has moderate economic costs, and 18 percent believe the U.S. should make only a
small-scale effort. Ten percent believe the U.S. should make no effort to reduce its emissions.
Like the Cautious, the Disengaged offer some support to most proposed climate and energy poli-
cies, with majorities saying that they “somewhat support” the policies, but less than a third offer-
ing strong support. The policy they support most strongly is expanding offshore drilling, which is
strongly supported by 35 percent and somewhat supported by an additional 46%. A third strongly
support increased funding for research into renewable energy sources, and a quarter strongly sup-
port drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (24%). The majority oppose increasing
taxes on gasoline by 25 cents (73%), and almost half oppose a national carbon market (48%).
56 global warming’s six americas 2009
Expectations of Elected Officials, Corporations, and Citizens Themselves (Table 9)
Half or more of the Disengaged desire more action to reduce global warming from elected officials, cor-
porations and citizens, but they are not demanding an aggressive effort, saying they desire “more” – but
not “much more” – action. A third or more say that the current levels of action are “the right amount;”
the proportion desiring “much more” action are 5 to 22 percent lower than the national average. Their
strongest desire for increased effort is from corporations and industry: 19 percent say corporations should
be doing “much more,” and 38 percent say they should be doing “more.” Over half believe that more or
much more should be done by citizens (57%) and the U.S. Congress (55%). Like the Cautious segment,
large numbers believe that all levels of government – federal, state, and local – are doing the right amount
or too much, ranging from 45 percent for the U.S. Congress to 53 percent for local government.
Personal Actions and Intentions
The Disengaged report little political and consumer activism related to global warming. They are
the least likely of the six segments to discuss global warming with other people. They are also the least
likely to have made energy efficiency improvements to their homes, but they exceed population av-
erages in their use of alternative forms of transportation.
Political Activism (Table 10)
Levels of political activism among the Disengaged are very low: Only 2 to 3 percent have engaged in any
of the three political activities measured (contacting government officials, attending meetings or rallies,
and volunteering with or donating to an organization). Between 3 percent and 10 percent intend to increase
their activities over the coming year, but of this small group, none are completely confident of their abil-
ity to follow-through on their intentions. As with the Cautious segment, large numbers say they intend
to engage in these three political activities less frequently in the coming year (between 23% and 26%).
A third of the Disengaged say they do not contact officials or attend rallies and meetings because
they are not activists. Almost a quarter say they don’t know how to contact officials, and 44 percent
say they can’t afford to volunteer or donate money. Like the Cautious, however, many express con-
fidence that none of the listed barriers would stop them from contacting officials (25%) or volun-
teering or donating money (29%).
Only 4 percent of the Disengaged believe that the three political activities are “pretty effective” and
none believe they are “highly effective.” A quarter say they don’t know whether these actions have an
effect, and the largest numbers – between 39 and 46 percent – say the actions will have no effect.
Consumer Activism (Table 11)
Thirteen percent of the Disengaged say they have rewarded companies that are taking action to re-
duce global warming by buying their products, while 9 percent say they have punished companies
that oppose steps to reduce global warming by avoiding their products. One in five, however, say they
intend to engage in these actions more frequently over the coming year. Two-thirds say a primary bar-
rier to consumer activism is not knowing which companies to punish (66%); almost a quarter say
they can’t afford to take these actions (23%); 18 percent believe their actions won’t have any influence
on a company (32%); and 29 percent say they can’t afford to do this.
an audience segmentation analysis 57
Energy Efficiency Improvements (Tables 12 & 13)
The Disengaged are the least likely of the segments to have made major home energy-efficiency im-
provements – by insulating their attics, caulking, and installing energy-efficient water heaters, fur-
naces, and air conditioners – and only small proportions intend to make these improvements in the
coming year. Forty percent have installed compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), while an addi-
tional 24 percent are planning to do so. The Disengaged have among the lowest ownership of fuel-
efficient vehicles (18%) and lower than average intentions to purchase one in the coming year (16%).
The primary barrier inhibiting the Disengaged from making major investments in energy-efficiency
improvements is the cost: between a quarter and half of those who have not made each of the im-
provements say that cost was a barrier. Many also say that they “don’t need a new one yet,” ranging
from 18 percent for an energy-efficient furnace to 36 percent for a new car.
Energy Conservation (Tables 14, 15 & 16)
Two-thirds of the Disengaged indicate they turn off unneeded lights all the time (65%). Almost 30
percent say they raise their thermostats in summer or use less air conditioning all the time (29%),
and over a third say they always lower their thermostats in winter (35%). The primary barrier to
both of the latter actions is a preference for a more comfortable temperature in the house.
Transportation is one arena in which the Disengaged are conserving more than other segments of
the population: 9 percent say they always walk or bike instead of driving; this is 2 percent higher
than the population average, and is exceeded only by the Alarmed (12%). Seventeen percent say
they always use public transportation or car pools, 8 percent higher than the national average, and
the highest of any segment. Like other segments, they cite multiple barriers to increasing their use
of alternative forms of transportation: long travel distances, lack of availability, inconvenience, and
the amount of time it would require.
Like the Cautious, the Disengaged cite saving money and energy as the primary benefits of conser-
vation. Reducing global warming is seen as a benefit by few within this segment, with averages far
below the national average, ranging from a low for walking and biking, cited by only 4 percent as
compared to 48 percent of the population. The highest recognition of global warming reduction as
a benefit of conservation by the Disengaged is in turning off the lights: 26 percent cite it as a bene-
fit, compared to 36 percent of the population.
Interpersonal Communication and Social Influence (Table 18)
The Disengaged are the least likely of the segments to discuss global warming with family and
friends; almost three-quarters say they never discuss it, and the remaining quarter say they rarely do.
Only 11 percent have discussed it with anyone in the past two weeks, and only 7 percent say they like
to talk about it. None say that others come to them for advice on global warming, and none believe
that others perceive them to be good sources of information on the issue.
Demographics, Social Characteristics and Values
The Disengaged tend to be moderate Democrats who are politically inactive. They hold egalitarian
values, traditional religious beliefs, and are not strong environmentalists. They are more likely than
average to be minority women with less education and lower incomes.
58 global warming’s six americas 2009
Demographics (Table 24)
Almost two-thirds of the Disengaged are women (62%). They are slightly more likely than average
to be 65 or older (20% vs. 16% nationally). They tend to have lower incomes, with over a third earn-
ing less than $25K annually (37% vs. 21% nationally), and to have only a high school education (49%)
or less (19%). Only 10 percent have a bachelor’s degree. One-quarter are non-Hispanic Blacks (26%
vs. 11% nationally), and 17 percent are Hispanics (17% vs. 13%). They are the least likely of the seg-
ments to be non-Hispanic Whites (55% vs. 69%).
They are less likely than average to be working as a paid employee (44% vs. 52%), and more likely
to be retired (23% vs. 10%) or disabled (17% vs. 10%). The Disengaged are the most likely of the
segments to rent their homes (40% vs. 24%), and 30 percent live in apartments, compared to 18 per-
cent nationally.
Civic Engagement (Table 19)
The Disengaged are the least likely of the segments to be registered voters: 78 percent say they are
registered, compared to 85 percent nationally. They also have the lowest level of civic engagement,
averaging only 0.3 different types of civic activity (from a list of 11) in the past year. The types of ac-
tion the Cautious are most likely to have taken are: contacting politicians (5%); attending public
meetings on town or school affairs (4%); or serving on a committee of a local organization (4%).
Political Affiliation and Ideology (Table 20)
The Disengaged are more likely to be Democrats (41%). Almost a quarter are Republicans (23%); 16
percent are Independents; and 18 percent say they have no party, the highest proportion of the six
segments (11% nationally have no party). The Disengaged cluster near the middle of the ideological
spectrum, with 44 percent describing themselves as moderates. Only 8 percent say they are very con-
servative and 6 percent describe themselves as very liberal.
Values and General Attitudes (Table 21)
The Disengaged agree more strongly with egalitarian principles than the population as a whole: 58
percent say that in their ideal society, all basic needs would be met, compared to 46 percent nation-
ally; 51 percent believe the world would be more peaceful if wealth were divided more equally (43%
nationally); 76 percent say that discrimination against minorities is a serious problem (70% nation-
ally); and 77 percent support government poverty programs (73% nationally).
Their support for individualistic values varies from population averages in both directions. The Dis-
engaged are more likely to say that government regulation of business usually does more harm than
good, (67%, compared to 49% nationally). On other issues, however, they are less likely to say that
people should be allowed to make as much money as they can, even if it means some people make
millions while others live in poverty (48% agree, compared to 61% nationally).
In areas of conflict between science and religion, the Disengaged tend to hold traditional religious beliefs:
Almost two-thirds do not believe that humans evolved from other species (65%), and nearly three-
quarters believe that the world was literally created in six days (71%). Although two-thirds believe that
science does more good than harm (68%), they are the weakest supporters of science of the six seg-
ments, with 32 percent saying that science does more harm than good, compared to only 20 percent na-
tionally.
an audience segmentation analysis 59
The consumption attitudes of the Disengaged parallel those of the average American, with one ex-
ception: They are more likely to say that it is important to them to have a home as well-equipped and
furnished as that of other people they know. Ten percent strongly agreed with this statement, com-
pared to only 4 percent nationally.
Environmental Beliefs and Concern (Table 22)
Only 37 percent of the Disengaged identify themselves as environmentalists, compared to 57 percent
of the population. Sixty percent believe that economic growth is more important than environmen-
tal protection, even if it causes environmental problems, compared to 45 percent nationally. Their con-
cern about the impact of global warming on other species (plants, marine life, animals and birds) is
also lower than the national average, while their concern for humans (all people, all children, your
children and people in the U.S.) is on par with national averages. Their concern, however, about the
impact of global warming on themselves and their own health, lifestyle, and future, all exceed the na-
tional average. These differences are not large, but are consistent across all twelve questions.
Religious Affiliation and Participation (Table 23)
The Disengaged are slightly more likely to attend religious services than the national average, with
15 percent saying they attend services more than once a week, compared to 12 percent in the popula-
tion. Over a third identify themselves as “born-again” or evangelical (37% vs. 27% nationally). One-
quarter are Baptists (26%), 8 percent higher than the national average.
Media Use and Information Seeking
The Disengaged do not follow political news very closely and while they say they need more infor-
mation on global warming to make up their minds on the issue, they are unlikely to seek out this in-
formation. They tend to watch more television, watching more entertainment programming than
average, but less news and public affairs.
Information Seeking and Attention (Table 25)
The Disengaged feel the highest need for more information on the issue of global warming to make
up their minds: 64 percent say they need “a lot more” information, while another 18 percent say they
need “some more.” Like the Cautious and Concerned, however, they do not pay much attention to
the information they do encounter: 49 percent say they pay “a little” attention to information on
global warming, and 37 percent say “none.” They do, however, attend to information on conserving
energy: 29 percent pay “a lot” or “some” attention. Over the past month, 81 percent say they have not
looked for information on global warming, and 63 percent say they have not looked for information
on conserving energy.
Trust in Information Sources (Table 26)
Like the Cautious, the Disengaged have lower than average trust in all the sources of information on
global warming. Only 12 percent strongly trust scientists, compared to 29 percent nationally; 63 per-
cent somewhat trust scientists, and the remaining quarter say they do not trust them (26% vs. 18%
nationally). They tend to trust their own family and friends as highly as scientists. Although a large
number of the Disengaged are Democrats, they have lower than average trust in Al Gore – 5 percent
strongly trust him, compared to 15 percent of the population.
60 global warming’s six americas 2009
Media Exposure (Table 27)
The Disengaged read printed newspapers 3.6 days a week, the national average; they’re less likely,
however to read on online newspaper (2.4 days vs. 3.7 nationally) or to use the Internet (8.0 hours
per week vs. 8.8). They are more likely to watch television, watching 28.4 hours per week, compared
to the 26-hour national average. They are also less likely to subscribe to magazines (.8 subscriptions
vs. the 1.4 national average).
Media Attention (Table 28)
The Disengaged tend to rely on television as their primary news source (71% vs. 59% nationally),
while they are less likely to use the Internet for information on products (28% vs. 49% nationally).
The majority say they understand major news events better if they see pictures and video showing
what happened, instead of reading or hearing about it (57% prefer pictures).
The Disengaged are less likely to follow most types of news than average. They pay the smallest
amount of attention to national politics of the six segments, with only 8 percent saying they follow
it closely, compared to 21 percent nationally. The media content they follow most closely is the local
weather (25%), while 12 percent say they follow sports closely; less than 10 percent say they follow
any other form of news closely.
Their high levels of television viewing are reflected in higher than average exposure to a variety of
programming: the Disengaged are greater than average viewers of daytime talk shows, such as
“Oprah” (34% say they watch “always” or “sometimes,” compared to 24% nationally); religious pro-
grams, such as “Focus on the Family” (19%, vs. 12% nationally); soap operas (20%, vs. to 14% na-
tionally); and network news programs (60% vs. 55% nationally).
an audience segmentation analysis 61
the doubtful
(11% of American Adults)
Beliefs & Issue Involvement
The Doubtful are almost evenly split between those who believe
that global warming is happening, those who don’t, and those who
don’t know. They tend to believe that global warming is not per-
sonally relevant, or much of a threat to people in general. They are
also more likely to say that global warming is caused by natural
changes in the environment.
Certainty (Table 1)
The Doubtful segment holds a wider range of views about the cer-
tainty of global warming than any other segment: 33 percent believe it
is happening (and have varying levels of certainty about that), 32 per-
cent believe it is not happening (and they too have varying levels of
certainty), and 34 percent say they don’t know. They are not very open-
minded about the issue, however: only 25 percent say they could eas-
ily change their minds about global warming.
Involvement (Table 2)
Only 8 percent of the Doubtful have thought about global warm-
ing “a lot,” while 30 percent have thought about it “some,” and 35 percent “a little.” The vast major-
ity of the Doubtful also do not attach any personal importance to the issue: 85 percent say the issue
is “not at all” or “not too” important to them. Only 2 percent are worried about global warming, and
only 6 percent say they have personally experienced global warming.
Perceived Knowledge & Beliefs (Table 3)
Half to 60 percent of the Doubtful say they are well informed about the causes, consequences, and
ways to reduce global warming, although few indicate that they are “very well informed.” A large ma-
jority (80%) believe that global warming is caused by natural changes in the environment. Nearly
two-thirds (62%) think there is a lot of disagreement among scientists about global warming, and an-
other 26 percent don’t know enough to say.
When asked how the climate system works, over half (55%) of the Doubtful say that the Earth’s cli-
mate is random and unpredictable. The rest are more or less evenly split between three other con-
ceptual models of the climate: a threshold or tipping point model that – if crossed – leads to
dangerous effects (19%); a stable climate model(13%); or a gradually changing climate model, that
will eventually lead to dangerous impacts (12%).
Risk Perceptions (Table 4)
The Doubtful view global warming as a more-or-less insignificant threat to people, although large
numbers (20 to 47%) report that they don’t know enough to say. A large majority say that global
warming will never (44%) harm people around the world or will only after 100 years (31%).
62 global warming’s six americas 2009
Over half (54%) of the Doubtful believe that no one is currently dying each year due to global warm-
ing, while 35 percent say they don’t know. Well over a third (41%) believe that even in 50 years no
one will die from global warming, although many (47%) say they don’t know.
Only 6 percent of the Doubtful think that global warming is harming people in other parts of the
world now, while only 4 percent say that people in the United States are being harmed. Although
none believe that global warming will harm them and their family “a great deal,” about one-fifth do
believe that they (21%) and their family (23%) will be harmed “a little” or “a moderate amount.” Like-
wise, only 2 percent say that future generations of people will be harmed “a great deal,” while 33 per-
cent say future generations will be harmed a little or moderate amount.
When asked whether a range of potential climate change impacts (including heat waves, droughts,
forest fires, famines, species extinctions, refugees, etc.) will become either more frequent or severe if
nothing is done to address global warming, very large majorities of the Doubtful say either they will
not (41 to 54%), or that they don’t know (33 to 37%).
Outcomes Expected from National Action to Reduce Global Warming (Table 5)
Despite their disbelief that global warming is happening or human caused, a majority of the Doubt-
ful say there are benefits associated with taking national action to reduce global warming (58%). The
most common reasons they identify are: freeing us from dependence on foreign oil (29%), pro-
tecting God’s creation (27%), providing a better life for our children and grandchildren (24%), im-
proving people’s health (22%), and creating green jobs and a stronger economy (20%). Of these
reasons, the most personally important to the Doubtful are protecting God’s creation (30%) and
freeing us from dependence on foreign oil (19%).
The most common concerns the Doubtful have about national action are more government regu-
lation (60%), rising energy prices (50%), job losses and harm to our economy (34%), interfering
with the free market (27%), and harming poor people (25%). When asked which one of these con-
cerns is most important to them personally, the largest proportions say rising energy prices (32%)
or more government regulation (30%).
Forty percent of the Doubtful foresee both positive and negatives outcomes from national action to
reduce warming, while 33 percent foresee only costs, 18 percent anticipate only positive outcomes,
and the remaining 10 percent have no projections either way. Among the 40 percent who foresee
both benefits and costs, 69 percent conclude that despite their concerns, the U.S. should take ac-
tion to reduce global warming.
Beliefs about Potential Outcomes and the Effectiveness of Actions (Table 6)
In line with their belief that global warming, if happening, is caused by natural changes in the envi-
ronment, nearly two-thirds (59%) of the Doubtful say that humans can’t reduce global warming,
even if it is happening.
Forty-three percent of the Doubtful say that their own energy-reducing actions reduce their contribution
to global warming “a little” or “some.” A majority believes global warming could be reduced “a little” or
more if these same actions were being done by most people in the U.S. (69%) or by most people in the
an audience segmentation analysis 63
developed nations (80%). About half of the Doubtful believe that individual actions can make a difference
in reducing global warming (43%), and do not believe that new technologies will solve the problem (55%).
Policy and National Response Preferences
In line with their perception that global warming is not a serious threat to people, the Doubtful con-
sider it a relatively low national priority, although fully three-quarters do say America should make
some effort to address it. Many show modest levels of support for policies that address the problem,
however, while about half or more say that citizens, industry, and government are already doing the
right amount to address the issue.
Issue Priorities for the President and Congress (Table 7)
The Doubtful rated global warming last among 11 issues for the President and Congress; none said
it should be a very high priority for the new administration and Congress, and only 6 percent said it
should be a high priority. With the exception of water pollution (45%), less than one-third said that
any environmental issue should be a high priority for the President and Congress.
Support for a National Response (Table 8)
Over one-third (38%) of the Doubtful say the United States should act to reduce its greenhouse gas
emissions regardless of what other countries do, while another third (35%) don’t know. Only 24 per-
cent say that America should make no effort to reduce global warming. Most say the U.S. should
make a small effort (55%), while 21 percent say the nation should make a medium or large effort.
The Doubtful support a variety of national policies including: expanding offshore drilling for oil
(91%); funding research into renewable energy sources (88%), drilling for oil in the Arctic National
Wildlife Reserve (83%); providing tax rebates to people who install solar panels or purchase fuel-ef-
ficient vehicles (76%); building more nuclear power plants (76%); requiring auto makers to increase
fuel-efficiency to 45 mpg (62%); regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant (53%); and requiring elec-
tric utilities to produce at least 20 percent of the electricity from renewable resources (50%).
Less popular policies among this segment are: establishing a fund to help make buildings more en-
ergy efficient and teach Americans how to reduce their energy use (37%); creating a national cap-and-
trade market (32% – but only 4% support strongly); increasing taxes by 25 cents per gallon and
returning the revenues to taxpayers by lowering the federal income tax (22%); and signing an inter-
national treaty that requires the U.S. to cut its emissions by 90 percent by 2050 (31%).
Expectations of Elected Officials, Corporations, and Citizens Themselves (Table 9)
Most members of the Doubtful say that elected officials, corporations and citizens are already doing
the right amount to address global warming. About a third (31%) say that corporations and indus-
try should be doing more, a quarter (24%) feel citizens themselves should be doing more, and only
10 to 15 percent feel elected officials should be doing more.
Personal Actions and Intentions
The Doubtful report very low rates of political and consumer activism. Conversely, they report high
rates – the highest of any segment – for certain household energy efficiency actions, but only aver-
age or below average rates of energy conservation actions.
64 global warming’s six americas 2009
Political Activism (Table 10)
Only 3 percent of the Doubtful have contacted government officials through letters, emails, or phone
calls over the past year to urge them to take action on global warming, and only 1 percent plan to do
so more frequently over the next year. They are highly unlikely to get involved in this manner because
many don’t see themselves as being “activists” (38%), don’t believe in global warming (34%), or be-
cause they don’t believe that taking action in this way is important (34%). Similarly, only 3 percent
of the Doubtful volunteer at organizations working to reduce global warming or donate money to
them and only 1 percent plan to increase their volunteerism and donations in the coming year.
Consumer Activism (Table 11)
The Doubtful report slightly higher levels of consumer activism (compared to their political ac-
tivism): 12 percent have rewarded companies in the past year by buying their products if the com-
pany is taking steps to reduce global warming; while 6 percent have punished companies that oppose
steps to reduce global warming by not buying their products. These rates may grow slightly over time
as 8 percent indicate they plan to reward companies more frequently in the next 12 months, and 7 per-
cent plan to punish companies more frequently. Half say a primary barrier to increased consumer ac-
tivism is not knowing which companies to punish (50%); over a third say it’s not important (39%);
and just under a third believe their actions won’t have any influence on a company (31%).
Energy Efficiency Improvements (Tables 12 & 13)
The Doubtful are the segment most likely to have taken energy efficiency actions, including caulk-
ing and weather-stripping (75%), insulating the attic (71%), and purchasing an energy efficient home
furnace (56%) or energy efficient air conditioner (56%). They are less likely than average, however,
to have installed CFLs in their homes (34%), and are less likely than average to plan to do so in the
next year (24%). With the exception of CFLs – which many of the Doubtful simply don’t like (37%)
– the cost and not yet needing a replacement unit are the primary barriers standing in the way of tak-
ing these actions in the next year.
Energy Conservation (Tables 14, 15 & 16)
The Doubtful have average or slightly below average rates of performing home energy conservation
actions. Although a majority say they turn off unneeded lights all the time (55%), this is lower than
the national average (63%). In line with national averages, a third (34%) indicate they lower their
thermostats in winter all the time, and 35 percent say their raise their thermostats in summer or limit
their use of air conditioning. The primary barrier to both of the latter actions is a preference for a more
comfortable temperature in the house.
The Doubtful also report below average rates of conserving energy in their transportation choices:
2 percent always use public transportation or car pools; and 0 percent always walk or bike instead of
driving. They cite a number of barriers to increasing their use of public transportation and carpools:
44 percent say they don’t have the option; 44 percent cite lack of availability; 29 percent say that it’s
too inconvenient. Over half (57%) say they would walk or bike instead of driving more often, but the
distances they travel are too far. A substantial minority (24%) indicates that their health or physical
condition does not permit them to walk or bike instead of drive.
Saving money and energy are the Doubtful’s primary motivations for conservation, although a size-
able minority (19 to 32 percent for most actions) also say “it’s the moral thing to do.” With regard
an audience segmentation analysis 65
to walking and biking instead of driving, many also say “it’s good for my health” (69%) and “it
makes me feel good about myself” (47%). Between 6 and 19% say that reducing global warming is
one of the benefits of energy conservation.
Interpersonal Communication and Social Influence (Table 18)
Only 9 percent of the Doubtful say they like to discuss global warming with other people, although
27 percent say that they discuss it occasionally or more frequently with family and friends. Few (7%)
believe that others consider them a good source of information about global warming.
Demographics, Social Characteristics and Values
The Doubtful are more likely than average to be male, older, better-educated, higher income, and white.
They also tend to be Republicans who have an average rate of involvement in civic activities. They hold
strongly individualistic values and attitudes and are unlikely to see themselves as being environmentalists.
Demographics (Table 24)
Well over half (59%) of the Doubtful are men. All age groups are represented in this segment, but
they are more likely to be older (75+) and less likely to be younger (ages 18-24). The Doubtful have
more education than average, with 33 percent holding a Bachelor’s degree or higher. They also have
above average incomes, with 50 percent earning $60,000 or more (compared to the national aver-
age of 40%). They are also more likely to be non-Hispanic whites (89%).
Civic Engagement (Table 19)
The Doubtful have a typical rate of civic engagement, averaging slightly less than one type of civic
activity (from a list of 11) in the past year. The types of action they are most likely to have taken are:
contacting a politician (22%), attending public meetings on town or school affairs (13%); or serving
as an officer of a local club or organization (11%).
Political Affiliation and Ideology (Table 20)
A majority of the Doubtful identify themselves as Republicans (56%), while 24 percent say they are
Independents. Sixty-one percent say they are conservative, while 33 percent self-identify as moderates.
Values and General Attitudes (Table 21)
The Doubtful hold moderately high individualistic values, although considerably less so than the
Dismissive. Nearly half (47%) strongly believe that people should be allowed to make as much money
as they can, even if it means some makes millions while others live in poverty. The Doubtful are also
much less likely than average to hold egalitarian values.
In areas where religion and science conflict, the Doubtful lean toward a traditional religious per-
spective: Less than a third (31%) believe in human evolution, while 62 percent agree that the world
was literally created in six days. Regarding the overall value of science, however, 82 percent disagree
with the statement, “Overall, modern science does more harm than good.”
Environmental Beliefs and Concern (Table 22)
Less than one-third (29%) of the Doubtful consider themselves environmentalists, compared to 57
percent nationally. Three-quarters also say that economic growth is more important than protecting
66 global warming’s six americas 2009
the environment. They also report well below average concern about the impact of global warming
on other species, on humans in general, or themselves.
Religious Affiliation and Participation (Table 23)
The Doubtful report the second highest rate of religious attendance (weekly or more). They are
also more likely than average to describe themselves as “born again” or evangelical (39%), and are
the segment least likely to belong to no organized religion.
Media Use and Information Seeking
The Doubtful report average rates of media use. About one-third say they need additional informa-
tion about global warming before they can firmly make up their minds, but they are very unlikely to
pay attention to information about the issue. The Doubtful are also much less likely to trust scien-
tists as sources of information about this topic.
Information Seeking and Attention (Table 25)
The Doubtful are largely divided between those who feel they need “a lot more information” (34%)
and those who “do not need any more information” (30%) before firmly making up their minds
about global warming. They are, however, the segment least likely to pay attention to information
about global warming: only 1 percent say they pay “a lot” of attention and only 8 percent pay “some”
attention. They report paying more attention – although still less than average – to information about
conserving energy (39% pay “a lot” or “some” attention).
Trust in Information Sources (Table 26)
The Doubtful are most likely to trust their own family and friends (63% – but only 9% strongly
trust them); scientists (61% – but only 5% strongly trust them). At 36%, John McCain is the next
most trusted source. By contrast, this segment strongly distrusts Al Gore (87%); Barack Obama
(86%); the mainstream news media (84%), or environmental groups (78%) as sources of infor-
mation about global warming.
Media Exposure (Table 27)
The Doubtful report average rates of use for most media, except lower than average Internet use. In
an average week, they read a newspaper 3.9 times and read news online 3.6 times, listen to radio 8.6
hours, watch 25.0 hours of tv, and use the Internet 6.9 hours.
Media Attention (Table 28)
The Doubtful pay average attention to news of all types, with the exception of sports news (which
they attend to more closely) and world affairs, the environment, health news, and the local weather
(which they attend to less closely). They are less likely than average to watch national nightly news
on (or use the websites of ) CBS, ABC, or NBC, to watch MSNBC, CNN, local TV news, daytime
talk, and Sunday morning news shows, and more likely than average to watch Fox News, Hannity
& Colmes, Bill O’Reilly, and listen to Rush Limbaugh.
an audience segmentation analysis 67
the dismissive
(7% of American Adults)
Beliefs & Issue Involvement
The Dismissive are distinguished by their certainty that global
warming is not occurring. They have thought about the issue a
good deal and consider themselves well-informed. They are quite
certain that even if it is occurring, it is not caused by human activ-
ities. They believe scientists are in disagreement on the issue, and
quite a few believe that there is a consensus among scientists that
global warming is not occurring. They believe that no one is in dan-
ger of being harmed and anticipate that there will be no impacts on
people or the environment.
Certainty (Table 1)
The Dismissive are the only segment in which a majority believe
that global warming is not occurring: 71 percent say it is not hap-
pening and 34 percent of these are extremely sure; another 24 per-
cent say they’re very sure. By contrast, only 17 percent believe global
warming is occurring, with only 1 percent extremely sure, and an-
other 13 percent say they don’t know. They are highly convinced of
their beliefs: only 3 percent say that they could easily change their minds.
Involvement (Table 2)
A majority of the Dismissive say they have thought about global warming: 34 percent say they’ve
thought about it “a lot,” and another 28 percent say they’ve thought about it “some.” Only 14 percent
say they haven’t thought about it at all. Global warming is not an important issue to them, however:
92 percent say it’s “not too important” or “not at all important” personally. None are worried about
it, and only 3 percent say that they have personally experienced global warming.
Perceived Knowledge & Beliefs (Table 3)
The vast majority of the Dismissive believe they are well informed on the causes, consequences,
and ways to reduce global warming: 40 percent or more say they are “very well informed,” and as
many or more say they are “well informed” on the three topics (42 % to 48%). Their average as-
sessment of their own knowledge is matched only by the Alarmed, and is significantly higher than
any of the other four groups. When asked to assume that global warming is occurring, two-thirds
say they believe it to be caused by natural changes in the environment; another 28 percent (not ac-
cepting the assumption) say it is caused by neither natural changes nor human activities because it
isn’t happening. Two-thirds believe scientists disagree a great deal about the issue (67%), while 22
percent believe that most scientists think global warming is not occurring. Only 8 percent say that
most scientists think it is taking place.
Over half of the Dismissive believe that the Earth’s climate is random and unpredictable (52%). An-
other 30 percent believe that the Earth’s climate is stable, while 12 percent say that the climate has
68 global warming’s six americas 2009
thresholds or tipping points, which, if crossed, can lead to dangerous effects. None believe that the
Earth’s climate system is fragile.
Risk Perceptions (Table 4)
The Dismissive do not perceive global warming as a threat to themselves or to anyone else. Ninety-
nine percent say it will never hurt people in the United States, and 97 percent say it will never hurt
other people around the world.
Eighty-six percent say that no one is being injured, made ill, or dying today because of global warm-
ing and 81 percent say no one will be hurt 50 years from now either. The remainder say they don’t
know. Ninety percent or more say global warming will harm them, other people, and future gener-
ations “not at all” (90% to 97%). They perceive the greatest risk to people in developing countries,
and to plant and animal species, although the proportions are still very small: 3 percent say people
in developing nations will be harmed “a moderate amount,” and another 3 percent say they will be
harmed “only a little.” Plants and animals will be harmed “only a little,” according to 10%; another 1
percent say they will be harmed “a moderate amount.”
The vast majority of the Dismissive (77% to 85%) believe that global warming will have no impact
on the frequency or severity of hurricanes, heat waves, floods, droughts, forest fires, famines, dis-
ease epidemics, poverty, or refugees. Very large majorities also believe that global warming will not
cause expanding deserts, the abandonment of coastal cities due to sea level rise, or melting ice caps
and glaciers.
Outcomes Expected from National Action to Reduce Global Warming (Table 5)
Two-thirds of the Dismissive expect only negative outcomes if the nation takes action to reduce global
warming (65%); another 17 percent foresee neither negative nor positive outcomes; 11 percent perceive
both; and 7 percent expect only positive outcomes.
More than half the Dismissive are concerned that action to reduce global warming will lead to more gov-
ernment regulation (70%), rising energy prices (59%), interference with the free market (56%), and lost
jobs and harm to the economy (53%). Forty-two percent also believe action will harm poor people and
undermine American sovereignty (40%). The Dismissive averaged 3.2 concerns about action, com-
pared to the population average of 1.2. Their top concern, selected by 48 percent, is that action to reduce
warming will lead to more government regulation.
Conversely, the Dismissive anticipate very few positive outcomes: only 12 percent believe that action
to reduce warming will help to reduce our reliance on foreign oil.
Beliefs about Potential Outcomes and the Effectiveness of Actions (Table 6)
Over half of the Dismissive do not believe humans can reduce global warming, even if it is happen-
ing (54%). The rest say that global warming isn’t happening (45%).
Nearly all the Dismissive (98%) say that their energy-saving actions do not reduce global warming
at all, although 17 percent believe that if most people in the developed nations engaged in these same
actions, it would reduce global warming “a little” (14%) or “some” (3%). Over half agree with the as-
sertion that the actions of a single individual won’t make any difference in global warming (57%).
an audience segmentation analysis 69
They are almost evenly split on the importance of new technologies: 48 percent agree that technol-
ogy can solve global warming, without individuals changing their behavior, and 52 percent disagree.
Policy and National Response Preferences
The Dismissive say global warming should be a low priority for the government and that govern-
ment, corporations and citizens should not be taking action to reduce it. They strongly favor in-
creased drilling for oil and the building of nuclear power plants, while opposing most policies aimed
at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Issue Priorities for the President and Congress (Table 7)
The Dismissive rated global warming last among 11 national issues for the President and Congress;
none said it should be a very high or high priority, and only 19 percent said it should be a medium pri-
ority. The vast majority (89%) said it should be a low priority. Like the Doubtful, few of the Dismis-
sive believed any environmental issue merits high priority: A third believed water pollution should be
a very high (12%) or high (22%) priority, and 29 percent believed toxic waste should be a priority. All
other environmental issues were rated as high priorities by less than 20 percent of this segment.
Support for a National Response (Table 8)
Over a third of the Dismissive say that the U.S. should not reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (36%).
Another third say the U.S. should reduce its emissions, regardless of what other countries do – perhaps a
reflection of the belief that U.S. action should not depend on the actions of other nations. Two-thirds say
that the United States should make no effort to reduce global warming (68%), while a quarter say the U.S.
should make only a small effort (26%).
The Dismissive hold very strong opinions on climate and energy policies. They support expansion
of offshore drilling (96%; 84% strongly support) and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
(89%; 77% strongly support); and two-thirds support building more nuclear power plants (88%;
66% strongly support).
Very large majorities oppose increasing gasoline taxes by 25 cents (90%; 77% strongly oppose);
signing an international treaty to reduce carbon emissions (87%; 68% strongly oppose); creating
a national carbon market (85%; 64% strongly oppose); establishing a special fund to make build-
ings more energy efficient (85%; 61% strongly oppose); or providing government subsidies to make
home energy-efficiency improvements (74%; 54% strongly oppose).
Almost three-quarters oppose regulating CO2 as a pollutant (73%; 44% strongly oppose); and close to
two-thirds oppose requiring utilities to generate 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources
(62%; 44% strongly oppose). They are more supportive, however, of requiring automakers to increase
fuel efficiency, with 45 percent supporting it and 55 percent opposing this policy. Finally, the two poli-
cies a majority support are funding research into renewable energy sources (supported by 72%), and
providing tax rebates for people who buy efficient vehicles or solar panels (supported by 58%).
Expectations of Elected Officials, Corporations, and Citizens Themselves (Table 9)
More than half of the Dismissive say that corporations, citizens, and all levels of government should be
doing less to address global warming. None believe that government should be doing more.
70 global warming’s six americas 2009
Personal Actions and Intentions
The Dismissive have not engaged in any political activities aimed at reducing global warming, and they
report low rates of consumer activism. They are, however, more socially active in discussing global warm-
ing and giving advice on the topic than most other groups. They have made many energy efficiency im-
provements to their homes, with the exception of installing compact fluorescent lights, and they are
likely to conserve energy at home as well. Few, however, conserve energy in their transportation choices.
Political Activism (Table 10)
None of the Dismissive have ever contacted government officials to urge them to take action on global
warming; none have attended community meetings or rallies on the issue; and none have volun-
teered with or donated money to organizations working to reduce warming. None of them intend
to engage in these activities more frequently in the future. They say they don’t take these three ac-
tions because they do not believe in global warming (roughly 75%), do not think it’s important to act
in these ways (29 to 38%), do not see themselves as activists (7 to 20%); or that it wouldn’t make any
difference if they did (8 to 13%).
Consumer Activism (Table 11)
Very few of the Dismissive have made purchase decisions based on the climate policies of companies:
9 percent have rewarded companies taking steps to reduce global warming by buying their products
up to several times, while 3 percent have punished companies that oppose steps to reduce warming
by not buying their products one or more times. These rates are unlikely to grow, as only 1 percent
say they intend to engage in consumer activism more frequently in the coming year.
Energy Efficiency Improvements (Tables 12 & 13)
The Dismissive have made many energy efficiency improvements to their homes, the single excep-
tion being the installation of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Three-quarters have caulked
and weather-stripped their homes (75%); close to two-thirds have insulated their attics (65%) and
installed an efficient water heater (62%). Half or more have purchased an efficient air conditioner
(54%) or furnace (50%). They are the segment most likely to own a vehicle that averages 30 miles
per gallon or more (28% vs. 21% nationally). Their adoption of CFLs, however, is the lowest of the
segments (33% vs. 46% nationally), and over 50 percent say they will not be making this improve-
ment in the coming year: 39 percent say they don’t intend to, while 14 percent say they would like to
but probably won’t.
Like the other groups, the Dismissive cite cost and not needing new units as significant barriers to mak-
ing efficiency improvements. They are also more likely than other segments to say that insulating,
caulking, and weather-stripping take too much effort and they are too busy to do these things. Almost
half say they don’t like CFLs (47%) and 27 percent say they are too expensive.
Energy Conservation (Tables 14, 15 & 16)
The Dismissive report slightly less than average rates of performing home energy conservation ac-
tions. Although a majority say they turn off unneeded lights all the time (57%), this is lower than the
national average (63%). In line with national averages, a third (34%) indicate they raise their ther-
mostats in summer or limit their use of air conditioning, while 35 percent say they lower their ther-
mostats in winter all the time. The primary barrier to both actions is a preference for a more
an audience segmentation analysis 71
comfortable temperature in the house, although a higher-than-average proportion also say that some-
one else in the house would object to lowering the temperature in winter (16% vs. 9% nationally).
Like the Doubtful, the Dismissive report below average rates of conserving energy in their trans-
portation choices: only 3 percent always walk or bike instead of driving, and 2 percent always use
public transportation or car pools. They cite a number of barriers to biking and walking more often:
58 percent say the distances they travel are too far; 28 percent say the weather makes it too uncom-
fortable; 22 percent say it would take too much time; and 19 percent say they don’t because they drive
a fuel-efficient vehicle. The barriers most likely to prevent them from using public transportation
and car pools are not having the option (43%); lack of availability (39%); inconvenience (32%); feel-
ing it’s unnecessary because they drive a fuel-efficient vehicle (23%); and preferring to commute
alone (20%).
For the Dismissive, saving money and energy are the primary reasons for conserving energy, both at
home and on the road. None cite reducing global warming as a motivation. Biking and walking are
valued for their health benefits by a higher than average proportion (88%).
Interpersonal Communication and Social Influence (Table 18)
While the Dismissive are less likely to discuss global warming than the Alarmed or Concerned, they
are more likely to do so than the other three segments. Most of their friends share their views on the
subject, and although three-quarters say they don’t like to talk about the subject, they are more likely
than average to give information to others (rather than receive information); to have people come to
them for advice; and to believe that others consider them a good source of advice on the issue.
Demographics, Social Characteristics, and Values
The Dismissive are mostly conservative Republicans and typically male. They are politically active and
hold traditional religious beliefs. They strongly endorse individualistic values, opposing any form of
government intervention, and are very unlikely to be environmentalists.
Demographics (Table 24)
Almost two-thirds of the Dismissive are men (63%), the largest gender split among the six seg-
ments. Their ages closely mirror national averages. The Dismissive tend to be well-educated – 35
percent have a college degree, and another 33 percent have some college – and they tend to have
higher incomes – 52 percent earn over $60K annually, compared to 40 percent nationally. They are
predominantly non-Hispanic Whites (87%), are married (67%) and living in homes they own (or
are buying) (85%).
Civic Engagement (Table 19)
The Dismissive have the highest proportion of registered voters of the six segments: 95 percent are
registered, compared to 85 percent overall. Their levels of civic engagement almost match the
Alarmed: 1.3 types of activity (from a list of 11), compared to 0.8 nationally, and 1.4 by the Alarmed.
The types of action they are most likely to have taken are: contacting a politician (31%), attending
public meetings on town or school affairs (19%); attending political rallies, speeches, or protests
(16%); serving on a committee of a local organization (15%); writing a letter to the editor, or call-
ing in on a radio or TV show (15%); and serving as an officer of a local club or organization (12%).
72 global warming’s six americas 2009
Political Affiliation and Ideology (Table 20)
Almost two-thirds of the Dismissive are Republicans (64%); 19 percent are Independents; and only
3 percent are Democrats. Three-quarters are conservatives, and 20 percent are moderates.
Values and General Attitudes (Table 21)
The Dismissive hold the strongest individualistic values of the six groups: 88 percent believe that peo-
ple should be allowed to make as much money as they can, even if it means some makes millions
while others live in poverty. They strongly oppose government intervention: 87 percent say that gov-
ernment regulation of business usually does more harm than good; 86 percent believe government
interferes too much in people’s lives and that government tries to do too many things for too many
people; and 85 percent feel that we’d be better off if government spent less time trying to “fix every-
one’s problems.”
Conversely, the Dismissive strongly disagree with egalitarian values: they don’t believe wealth
should be divided more equally, that government should meet everyone’s basic needs, or that dis-
crimination against minorities is a serious problem. Seventy percent oppose government programs
to get rid of poverty.
In areas where religion and science conflict, the Dismissive hold traditional religious beliefs more
strongly than any other segment: Less than a quarter (23%) believe in human evolution, compared
to 47 percent nationally. Almost two-thirds believe the world was created in six days (62%), compared
to 54 percent nationally. Regarding the overall value of science, however, 81 percent disagree with the
statement, “Overall, modern science does more harm than good.”
The Dismissive are unlikely to express materialistic values, with larger than average proportions dis-
agreeing that people can be judged by the things they own or that it’s important to have a well-fur-
nished home. They are also unlikely to follow fashion trends or to prefer socially accepted brands.
Environmental Beliefs and Concern (Table 22)
As might be expected, few of the Dismissive express high environmental concern. Two-thirds say they
do not consider themselves environmentalists (66%), compared to 43 percent nationally. Ninety per-
cent believe that economic growth is more important than protecting the environment, even if it causes
environmental problems. Their concern about the impacts of global warming on other species, on hu-
mans, and on themselves ranks near the bottom of the scales: On 7-point scales where 7 indicates “ex-
tremely concerned” and 1 indicates “not at all concerned,” the Dismissive average from 1.5 to 1.7. This
places them far below national averages on these 12 questions, which range from 4.0 to 5.0.
Religious Affiliation and Participation (Table 23)
The Dismissive report by far the highest rate of religious attendance: over half attend services weekly or
more often. Over half describe themselves as “born again” or Evangelical (55%). They are most likely to
be Protestant (26%) or Baptist (26%), and are less likely than the overall population to be Catholic (10%
vs. 22% nationally).
Media Use and Information Seeking
The Dismissive have a specialized media diet, with higher than average preference for sources that
reflect their political point of view. While they are large consumers of political news, they do not
an audience segmentation analysis 73
trust most sources of information on global warming, including the mainstream news media, and
they are more likely than average to turn to conservative news commentators and the Internet.
Information Seeking and Attention (Table 25)
The Dismissive feel the least need for more information on global warming of any of the segments:
Almost three-quarters say they “do not need any more information” (73%), and another 14 percent
say they only “need a little more information.” Over half say they pay no attention to information on
global warming (59%), and another quarter say they pay “a little” attention (26%). Less than 10 per-
cent have looked for information on global warming in the past month (9%), compared to 38 per-
cent nationally. They are also unlikely to seek information on conserving energy and do not pay much
attention to the information they encounter.
Trust in Information Sources (Table 26)
The Dismissive strongly distrust most sources of information on global warming. Their most
trusted sources of information are their family and friends (67% – 14% strongly trusted). Another
14 percent, however, strongly distrust their own family and friends as sources of information. Their
second most trusted source – scientists (52%) – are strongly trusted by a mere 8%, while twice as
many (16%) say they strongly distrust them. Finally, the Dismissive distrust Al Gore (96% – 89%
strongly distrust); Barack Obama (97% – 84% strongly distrust); the mainstream news media (97%
– 84% strongly distrust); environmental groups (96% – 84% strongly distrust); and corporations
(87% – 52% strongly distrust).
Media Exposure (Table 27)
The Dismissive are the most frequent readers of online newspapers (4.5 days per week), but the least
frequent readers of printed newspapers (3.1 days). They are also the most frequent radio listeners
(12.2 hours per week) and Internet users (10.8 hours a week). They watch significantly less television
than most Americans, however, averaging 19.0 hours per week, compared to 26.0 hours nationally.
Media Attention (Table 28)
The Dismissive rely on the Internet and television equally as their primary source of news (37% for
each), and another 21 percent rely on radio. While the majority say they prefer unbiased news (59%)
to news with a political slant, far more of the Dismissive say they favor news that reflects their po-
litical point of view (41%) than average (25% nationally). They also report the highest preference for
reading or hearing the news, as opposed to seeing pictures and video showing what happened: 59
percent prefer reading or hearing the news, as opposed to 47 percent nationally.
The Dismissive pay higher than average attention to political news. Forty percent say they follow
national politics “very closely,” compared to only 21 percent nationally. They also follow state and
local politics, world affairs, and business and financial issues more closely than average.
They also rely on a highly specialized media diet that deviates from population averages on almost every
program and genre measured: They are less likely than average to watch national nightly news on (or
use the websites of ) CBS, ABC, or NBC, or to watch or listen to CNN, local TV news, NPR, daytime
talk shows, soap operas, prime-time dramas, sitcoms, or any content with a perceived liberal bias (Jon
Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Keith Olbermann, or MSNBC). Conversely, they are much more likely than
average to watch Fox News, Hannity & Colmes, or Bill O’Reilly, and to listen to Rush Limbaugh.
an audience segmentation analysis 75
Table 1: Global Warming Belief and Certainty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Table 2: Issue Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Table 3: Perceived Knowledge and Beliefs about Global Warming: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Self-Assessed Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Causes and Scientific Consensus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Climate System Mental Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Table 4: Risk Perceptions: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Estimates of Injuries and Fatalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Who Is at Risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Timing of Harm to People in U.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Timing of Harm to People in Other Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Types of Harm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Table 5: Positive and Negative Outcomes Expected
from National Action to Reduce Global Warming: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Number of Outcomes Expected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Most Important Benefit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Greatest Concern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Should the U.S. Act? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Table 6: Beliefs about Potential Outcomes and the Effectiveness of Actions . . . . . . . . . . 88
Table 7: Issue Priorities for the President and Congress: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
National . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Top Environmental Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Table 8: Support for National Response: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Conditions for Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Magnitude of Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Specific Climate and Energy Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Table 9: Expectations of Elected Officials, Corporations and Citizens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Table 10: Political Activism: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Barriers to Contacting Officials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Barriers to Attending Meetings and Rallies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Barriers to Volunteering and Donating Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
Confidence in Own Ability to Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
Perceived Effectiveness of Own Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Table 11: Consumer Activism: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Barriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Table 12: Energy-Efficiency Actions and Intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Table 13: Barriers to Home Energy-Efficiency Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
appendix i: tables
76 global warming’s six americas 2009
Table 14: Energy Conservation Actions and Intentions: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Turning Off Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Home Cooling and Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Table 15: Barriers to Energy Conservation: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Turning Off Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Home Cooling and Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Walking and Biking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Using Public Transportation, Carpooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Table 16: Benefits of Energy Conservation: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Turning Off Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Home Cooling and Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Table 17: Confidence in Ability to Conserve Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Table 18: Interpersonal Communication and Social Influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Table 19: Civic Engagement: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Registered Voter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Activities of the Past Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Table 20: Political Affiliation and Ideology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Table 21: Values, Traits and Attitudes: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Egalitarianism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Individualism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Science and Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Social Capital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Other Attitudes and Traits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Table 22: Environmental Beliefs and Concerns: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Concern for Other Species, Humans, and Oneself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Table 23: Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Table 24: Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Table 25: Information Seeking and Attention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Table 26: Trust in Information Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Table 27: Frequency of Media Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Table 28: Attention to Media: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Primary Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Objective News Preference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Channel Preference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
News Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Specific Programs and Genres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
an audience segmentation analysis 77
25 74 30 5 4 1 1
27 24 43 27 12 12 5
17 2 21 27 19 17 5
3 0 1 5 9 3 6
18 1 4 31 53 34 13
1 0 0 1 0 5 1
4 0 0 3 3 17 12
3 0 0 0 0 9 24
3 0 0 0 0 1 34
5 1 3 7 15 3 1
27 0 25 52 57 22 2
34 19 45 34 24 45 24
33 80 27 7 4 30 73
Do you think global warming is happening? How sure are
you that global warming (is happening/is not happening)?
Extremely sure global warming is happening
Very sure global warming is happening
Somewhat sure global warming is happening
Not at all sure global warming is happening
Don't know
Not at all sure global warming is not happening
Somewhat sure global warming is not happening
Very sure global warming is not happening
Extremely sure global warming is not happening
I could easily change my mind Strongly agree
about global warming. Somewhat agree
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree
n=2,129
Table 1|Global Warming
Belief and Certainty
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
Extremely important 11 48 5 0 0 1 1
Very important 21 47 32 6 6 0 1
Somewhat important 39 5 61 52 52 15 6
Not too important 18 0 2 38 32 47 18
Not at all important 11 0 0 4 11 38 74
A lot 20 68 12 3 0 8 34
Some 35 30 54 28 11 30 28
A little 33 2 31 56 48 35 24
Not at all 12 0 3 13 41 27 14
Very worried 17 65 15 1 0 0 0
Somewhat worried 46 35 78 47 39 2 0
Not very worried 24 0 7 49 52 52 13
Not at all worried 13 0 0 4 8 46 88
Strongly agree 4 18 2 0 0 1 1
Somewhat agree 29 61 36 17 20 5 2
Somewhat disagree 43 18 49 61 56 39 13
Strongly disagree 24 4 13 22 24 55 84
How important is the issue
of global warming to you
personally?
How much had you thought
about global warming before
today?
How worried are you about
global warming?
I have personally experienced
the effects of global warming.
n=2,129
Table 2|Issue involvement
78 global warming’s six americas 2009
Very well informed 11 32 5 2 1 5 40
Fairly well informed 51 59 65 42 19 50 48
Not very well informed 29 8 27 46 52 27 7
Not at all informed 9 1 2 11 28 17 5
Very well informed 12 34 5 2 1 6 40
Fairly well informed 50 57 66 39 19 44 48
Not very well informed 30 9 28 49 51 32 7
Not at all informed 8 0 2 10 28 18 5
Very well informed 12 31 6 4 2 6 43
Fairly well informed 53 59 64 50 25 54 42
Not very well informed 27 9 27 40 48 24 9
Not at all informed 7 0 2 7 25 15 6
2.7 3.2 2.7 2.4 2.0 2.4 3.2
The different causes of global
of global warming
The different consequences
of global warming
Ways in which we can reduce
global warming
Average Self-Assessed Knowledge 1
1 Average response to the three knowledge questions, on a scale where: 1=not at all informed; 2=not very well informed;
3= fairly well informed; and 4=very well informed.
Personally, how well informed do you feel you are about …
n=2,129
Table 3|Perceived Knowledge
and Beliefs about Global Warming:
Self-Assessed Knowledge
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
57 88 79 49 39 8 1
5 8 7 6 2 2 0
33 4 13 43 47 81 69
3 0 0 1 6 5 28
1 0 0 0 3 2 1
1 0 0 0 3 3 1
47 80 64 37 23 11 8
33 19 24 42 19 62 67
3 0 1 2 0 2 22
18 1 11 20 57 26 3
A
ssuming global warming is happening, do you think it is ... 1
Caused mostly by human activities
Caused by human activities and natural changes 2
Caused mostly by natural changes in the environment
Neither because global warming isn't happening
Other (Please specify)
Don't know
Which comes closer to your own view? 3
Most scientists think global warming is happening
There is a lot of disagreement
Most scientists think global warming is not happening
Don't know enough to say
n=2,129
1 First and third responses were rotated in the survey.
2 Volunteered.
3 First and third responses were rotated in the survey.
Table 3|Perceived Knowledge
and Beliefs about Global Warming:
Causes & Scientific Consensus
an audience segmentation analysis 79
27 6 13 31 54 55 52
24 25 30 24 21 19 12
5 0 1 5 2 13 30
12 27 14 10 4 1 0
32 42 43 29 20 12 5
Random
Threshold
Stable
Fragile
Gradual
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
n=2,129
Table 3|Perceived Knowledge
and Beliefs about Global Warming:
Climate System Mental Models
People disagree about how the climate system
works. The five pictures below illustrate five
different perspectives. Each picture depicts the
earth’s climate system as a ball balanced on a
line, yet each one has a different ability to
withstand human-caused global warming. Which
one of the five pictures best represents your
understanding of how the climate system works?
Gradual: Earth’s
climate is slow to
change. Global
warming will
gradually lead to
dangerous effects.
Fragile: Earth's
climate is delicately
balanced. Small
amounts of global
warming will have
abrupt and
catastrophic
effects.
Stable: Earth’s
climate is very
stable. Global
warming will have
little to no effects.
Threshold: Earth’s
climate is stable
within certain limits.
If global warming is
small, climate will
return to equilib-
rium. If it is large,
there will be
dangerous effects.
Random: Earth’s
climate is random
and unpredictable.
We do not know
what will happen.
80 global warming’s six americas 2009
Millions 3 11 3 1 0 0 1
Thousands 14 33 18 11 0 0 0
Hundreds 12 15 16 13 3 10 1
None 23 6 11 32 3 54 86
Don’t know 48 36 53 44 93 35 12
Millions 5 16 3 3 0 0 1
Thousands 15 38 19 9 2 0 0
Hundreds 13 14 18 16 0 14 1
None 21 5 9 29 4 51 86
Don’t know 46 28 50 44 94 35 12
Millions 11 38 11 3 0 0 0
Thousands 17 25 27 15 2 2 0
Hundreds 8 5 10 15 1 10 1
None 14 1 2 18 1 41 81
Don’t know 50 31 51 49 97 47 18
Millions 13 44 13 3 0 1 0
Thousands 15 22 24 16 2 2 0
Hundreds 8 3 10 14 0 11 1
None 15 0 2 19 2 40 81
Don’t know 49 31 51 49 96 46 18
Currently die each year
due to global warming?
Are currently injured or
become ill each year
due to global warming?
Will die each year
50 years from now
due to global warming?
Will be injured or
become ill each year
50 years from now
due to global warming?
Now please think about the human health effects of global warming.
(Please choose the answer corresponding to your best estimate.)
Worldwide, how many people do you think ...
n=2,129
Table 4|Risk Perceptions:
Estimates of Injuries and Fatalities
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 81
A great deal 10 34 9 3 0 0 0
A moderate amount 22 32 38 16 3 3 0
Only a little 24 23 28 44 1 18 2
Not at all 22 2 7 32 0 59 97
Don’t know 23 9 19 4 95 20 1
A great deal 11 41 10 3 0 0 0
A moderate amount 24 30 44 21 2 3 0
Only a little 23 18 26 47 2 20 2
Not at all 19 1 3 25 0 55 97
Don’t know 23 10 18 4 96 22 1
A great deal 13 46 12 6 0 0 0
A moderate amount 26 32 47 23 2 4 0
Only a little 21 12 21 48 0 20 3
Not at all 17 1 2 20 0 51 96
Don’t know 23 9 18 4 97 24 1
A great deal 22 62 27 8 1 0 0
A moderate amount 28 28 47 34 2 7 1
Only a little 15 2 11 41 0 29 3
Not at all 14 0 1 12 0 40 94
Don’t know 22 8 14 4 97 24 3
A great deal 22 61 30 7 0 1 0
A moderate amount 28 29 44 37 2 6 1
Only a little 13 2 8 37 0 29 5
Not at all 13 0 1 11 0 39 92
Don’t know 24 9 18 8 97 25 3
A great deal 32 82 42 14 0 2 1
A moderate amount 22 10 34 36 2 12 3
Only a little 11 1 5 32 0 24 3
Not at all 13 0 1 11 0 37 90
Don’t know 23 8 18 7 98 26 3
A great deal 44 91 68 25 0 2 0
A moderate amount 17 2 19 47 0 12 0
Only a little 7 0 0 19 0 31 4
Not at all 10 0 0 5 0 23 90
Don’t know 22 7 12 3 100 32 6
A great deal 46 91 70 28 3 2 0
A moderate amount 17 2 17 47 4 13 1
Only a little 8 0 1 20 0 32 10
Not at all 9 0 0 4 0 22 87
Don’t know 20 6 11 1 93 30 3
You personally
Your family
Your community
People in the United States
People in other modern
industrialized countries
People in developing
countries
Future generations
of people
Plant and animal species
How much do you think global warming will harm:
Table 4|Risk Perceptions:
Who Is at Risk
n=2,129
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
82 global warming’s six americas 2009
38 75 50 19 31 6 1
13 13 19 13 10 3 0
12 7 16 19 15 4 0
12 4 11 24 15 12 0
11 1 4 22 17 31 2
14 0 1 3 13 44 97
When do you think global warming will start
to harm other people around the world?
They are being harmed now
In 10 years
In 25 years
In 50 years
In 100 years
Never
Table 4|Risk Perceptions: Timing of
Harm to People in Other Countries
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
Table 4|Risk Perceptions:
Timing of Harm to People in U.S.
34 69 44 15 29 4 0
13 15 19 12 15 0 0
13 9 19 17 12 5 0
13 5 14 26 15 9 0
12 1 5 26 18 26 1
15 0 0 4 12 56 99
They are being harmed now
In 10 years
In 25 years
In 50 years
In 100 years
Never
When do you think global warming will start
to harm people in the United States?
Many more 43 90 62 21 16 4 1
A few more 22 9 26 47 7 17 3
No difference 14 0 3 12 3 41 82
A few less 1 0 1 2 2 3 0
Many less 1 0 0 2 0 1 3
Don’t know 19 1 8 16 72 33 11
Many more 42 88 62 20 12 2 1
A few more 25 9 31 46 13 19 4
No difference 14 1 1 16 2 42 82
A few less 1 0 0 2 1 1 0
Many less 1 0 0 1 0 2 3
Don’t know 18 2 6 15 72 34 11
Many more 41 88 58 21 13 1 1
A few more 24 10 33 43 8 18 3
No difference 14 0 3 16 4 40 83
A few less 1 0 0 3 0 4 1
Many less 1 0 0 2 0 2 5
Don’t know 19 1 6 16 74 35 9
Droughts and
water shortages
Severe heat waves
Extinctions of plant
and animal species
Worldwide over the next 20 years, do you think
global warming will cause more or less of the
following, if nothing is done to address it?
Table 4|Risk Perceptions:
Types of Harm
n=2,129
an audience segmentation analysis 83
Many more 39 90 52 18 15 3 0
A few more 24 6 33 49 6 18 4
No difference 15 1 4 14 3 43 83
A few less 1 0 1 2 1 2 0
Many less 1 0 0 2 0 2 5
Don’t know 20 3 10 16 74 33 9
Many more 39 86 56 16 16 2 1
A few more 24 12 30 45 10 18 6
No difference 15 0 3 19 2 44 79
A few less 1 0 1 2 1 1 0
Many less 1 0 0 2 0 2 3
Don’t know 20 1 10 16 72 33 11
Many more 39 86 55 19 13 3 0
A few more 23 12 31 42 8 15 2
No difference 15 1 2 18 2 44 84
A few less 0 0 0 1 0 2 0
Many less 1 0 0 2 0 2 3
Don’t know 21 2 12 18 76 34 11
Many more 38 79 54 20 14 4 0
A few more 24 16 32 42 9 15 4
No difference 16 2 4 18 2 44 82
A few less 1 0 1 2 0 0 0
Many less 1 0 0 2 0 2 3
Don’t know 20 3 9 17 75 34 11
Many more 33 77 45 16 10 3 0
A few more 19 14 27 30 6 7 1
No difference 23 2 11 32 6 54 85
A few less 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Many less 1 0 0 1 0 2 5
Don’t know 24 6 17 20 78 33 9
Many more 32 79 42 14 11 1 0
A few more 19 11 30 31 4 9 2
No difference 20 1 8 28 5 50 84
A few less 1 0 1 3 0 2 3
Many less 1 0 0 2 0 3 3
Don’t know 26 8 20 23 80 35 9
Many more 31 73 44 12 9 1 0
A few more 22 19 30 34 7 11 1
No difference 20 1 7 28 5 49 85
A few less 1 0 1 2 0 1 0
Many less 1 1 0 0 0 2 3
Don’t know 26 8 18 23 78 36 11
Famines and food shortages
Floods
Intense hurricanes
Forest fires
People living in poverty
Refugees
Disease epidemics
Worldwide over the next 20 years, do you think
global warming will cause more or less of the
following, if nothing is done to address it?
Table 4|Risk Perceptions:
Types of Harm, continued
n=2,129
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
84 global warming’s six americas 2009
Very likely 54 98 79 37 18 7 1
Somewhat likely 20 2 16 43 16 31 8
Somewhat unlikely 4 0 1 5 1 19 15
Very unlikely 6 0 1 3 0 11 63
Don't know 16 0 3 12 65 34 12
Very likely 32 65 48 16 12 3 1
Somewhat likely 25 26 32 37 13 7 3
Somewhat unlikely 13 5 11 23 2 28 11
Very unlikely 10 1 2 6 2 25 72
Don't know 20 4 8 18 71 37 13
Very likely 31 72 43 13 9 1 1
Somewhat likely 30 22 40 50 11 15 9
Somewhat unlikely 8 1 5 11 2 27 13
Very unlikely 9 1 1 6 2 21 64
Don't know 22 5 10 20 76 36 13
Melting ice caps and glaciers
Abandoning large coastal
cities due to rising sea levels
Expanding deserts
Worldwide over the next 20 years, how likely do you think
it is that global warming will cause each of the following
if nothing is done to address it?
n=2,129
Table 4|Risk Perceptions:
Types of Harm, continued
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 85
67 96 84 65 52 24 5
66 96 86 60 56 17 5
61 92 75 54 50 22 5
55 92 70 43 37 20 9
51 83 69 40 34 8 3
49 80 57 43 27 29 12
48 65 60 46 40 27 6
35 76 43 19 25 6 2
35 73 43 17 23 9 3
17 39 19 12 7 2 3
44 44 39 45 27 60 70
31 19 23 38 24 50 59
17 4 9 20 18 34 53
13 7 5 13 4 27 56
11 3 5 10 10 25 42
8 3 3 7 5 16 40
Please check all of the answers below that you believe are true.
If our nation takes steps to reduce global warming, it will … 1
[Positive outcomes expected from taking action]
Provide a better life for our children and grandchildren
Save many plant and animal species from extinction
Improve people's health
Create green jobs and a stronger economy
Prevent the destruction of most life on the planet
Help free us from dependence on foreign oil
Protect God's creation
Protect the poorest from environmental harm 2
Save people around the world from poverty and starvation 3
Improve our national security
[Negative outcomes expected from taking action]
Lead to more government regulation
Cause energy prices to rise
Cost jobs and harm our economy
Interfere with the free market
Harm poor people more than it helps them
Undermine American sovereignty
1 Item order was randomized, with positive and negative outcomes mixed together in the same list.
2 Item wording: Protect the world’s poorest people from environmental harm caused by the world’s richest people
3 Item wording: Save many people around the world from poverty and starvation
Table 5|Positive and Negative
Outcomes Expected from National
Action to Reduce Global Warming
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
86 global warming’s six americas 2009
26 20 30 32 24 14 8
19 15 18 19 27 30 15
16 31 13 11 2 3 15
10 6 9 13 19 14 8
8 4 8 10 7 19 54
8 9 9 5 7 6 0
4 6 4 2 8 0 0
4 5 6 4 1 3 0
1 3 1 1 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 4 2 0
1,423 368 592 248 139 63 13
Of the reasons you selected, which one is
most important to you personally? 1
Provide a better life for our children and grandchildren
Protect God's creation
Prevent the destruction of most life on the planet
Improve people’s health
Help free us from dependence on foreign oil
Save many plant and animal species from extinction
Save people around the world from poverty and starvation 2
Create green jobs and a stronger economy
Protect the poorest from environmental harm 3
Improve our national security
Number of respondents
1 If respondent selected no or only one positive reason for action, this question was not asked.
2 Item wording: Save many people around the world from poverty and starvation
3 Item wording: Protect the world’s poorest people from environmental harm caused by the world’s richest people
Table 5|Positive and Negative Outcomes
Expected from National Action to Reduce
Global Warming: Most Important Benefit
16.1 0.5 2.7 10.0 22.6 42.5 82.4
12.6 0.8 6.4 20.8 18.8 30.5 12.4
14.4 2.1 15.3 25.6 19.2 16.4 0.7
20.6 14.9 27.3 27.6 20.7 8.8 2.6
21.9 37.9 32.6 10.8 16.5 1.8 0.0
14.6 43.9 15.8 5.3 2.3 0.0 2.0
4.8 7.9 6.1 4.0 3.5 1.6 0.5
43.6 48.7 50.1 36.8 54.4 27.6 23.5
39.7 45.0 41.2 45.9 35.1 34.7 17.6
10.5 4.7 7.5 12.8 8.5 21.8 19.6
6.3 1.6 1.1 4.5 1.9 16.0 39.2
1.2 0.8 0.9 1.3 0.9 2.1 3.2
4.9 0.5 2.0 2.3 11.5 10.1 17.0
0
1-2
3-4
5-6
7-8
9-10
0
1-2
3-4
5-6
Please check all of the answers below that you believe are true.
If our nation takes steps to reduce global warming, it will …
Number of positive outcomes selected
Average number of positive outcomes selected
Number of negative outcomes selected
Average number of negative outcomes selected
Proportion who selected no positive or negative outcomes
n=2,129
Table 5|Positive and Negative
Outcomes Expected from National
Action to Reduce Global Warming:
Number of Outcomes Expected
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 87
33 33 22 31 21 30 48
27 38 33 37 29 32 9
20 10 19 22 39 18 16
8 5 19 5 11 5 4
7 0 0 5 0 9 15
6 14 6 2 0 5 8
343 21 63 65 28 77 89
92 98 98 93 88 69 53
8 2 2 7 12 31 47
951 191 345 219 90 91 15
Which of the following things that might result from taking steps
to reduce global warming are of the greatest concern to you? 1
Lead to more government regulation
Cause energy prices to rise
Cost jobs and harm our economy
Harm poor people more than it helps them
Undermine American sovereignty
Interfere with the free market
Number of respondents
1 If respondent selected no or only one concern about action, this question was not asked.
2 This question was asked of all respondents who had selected at least one positive reason for action and at least one concern.
3 Item wording: We should take steps to reduce global warming because … [top reason for action was inserted;
if respondent selected only one reason, that was inserted]
4 Item wording: We should not take steps to reduce global warming because … [top concern was inserted;
if respondent selected only one concern, that was inserted]
Table 5|Positive and Negative Outcomes
Expected from National Action to Reduce
Global Warming: Greatest Concern
Table 5|Positive and Negative Outcomes
Expected from National Action to Reduce
Global Warming: Should the U.S. Act?
Which of the following statements do you find the most convincing? 2
We should take steps to reduce global warming because … 3
We should not take steps because … 4
Number of respondents
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
88 global warming’s six americas 2009
6 8 8 5 5 3 0
51 74 64 49 50 13 1
22 18 24 34 27 12 0
16 0 5 11 15 59 54
5 0 0 1 3 13 45
Which of the following statements comes closest to your view?
Humans can reduce global warming, and we will 1
Humans could reduce global warming, but unclear if we will 2
Humans could reduce global warming, but we won’t 3
Humans can't reduce global warming, even if it is happening
Global warming isn't happening
Table 6|Beliefs about Potential Outcomes
and the Effectiveness of Actions
n=2,129
1 Item wording: Humans can reduce global warming, and we are going to do so successfully.
2 Item wording: Humans could reduce global warming, but it’s unclear at this point whether we will do what’s needed.
3 Item wording: Humans could reduce global warming, but people aren’t willing to change their behavior, so we’re not going to.
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
A lot 13 29 15 7 9 0 0
Some 35 39 45 31 39 9 0
A little 36 31 35 48 36 34 2
Not at all 16 2 4 14 16 56 98
A lot 42 72 55 27 23 3 0
Some 36 25 38 48 52 21 0
A little 14 3 6 22 18 45 9
Not at all 8 0 1 2 8 32 91
A lot 60 85 79 48 46 9 0
Some 25 14 18 39 37 30 3
A little 9 1 2 12 12 41 14
Not at all 6 0 0 1 5 20 83
Number of respondents 2,008 379 704 397 260 202 66
How much do you think your
energy-saving actions reduce
your contribution to global
warming? 2
If most people in the US
did these same actions,
how much would it reduce
global warming? 3
If most people in the developed
nations did these same actions,
how much would it reduce
global warming? 4
Table 6|Beliefs about Potential Outcomes
and the Effectiveness of Actions, continued 1
1 These three items were skipped if respondent was very sure or extremely sure that global warming is not occurring.
Skips result in a smaller number of respondents in some segments.
2 Item wording: Think back to the energy-saving actions you’re already doing and those you’d like to do over the next 12
months. If you did most of these things, how much do you think it would reduce your personal contribution to global warming?
3 Item wording: If most people in the United States did these same actions, how much would it reduce global warming?
4 Item wording: If most people in the modern industrialized countries around the world did these same actions, how much
would it reduce global warming?
an audience segmentation analysis 89
Very high 76 86 83 71 77 58 54
High 20 13 16 23 19 29 36
Medium 3 1 1 5 3 11 6
Low 1 0 0 2 1 2 4
Very high 49 61 53 40 52 31 42
High 37 32 36 41 35 44 41
Medium 13 7 10 17 12 22 14
Low 1 1 0 2 0 4 3
Very high 45 58 45 38 48 33 41
High 39 31 39 43 39 46 42
Medium 13 10 13 16 10 17 14
Low 3 2 3 4 3 4 3
Economy
Federal budget deficit
Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
Here are some issues now being discussed in Washington, D.C. Do you think each of these issues
should be a low, medium, high, or very high priority for the next president and Congress?
n=2,129
Table 7|Issue Priorities for the
President and Congress: National
Strongly Disagree 24 51 28 15 15 7 8
Somewhat Disagree 45 39 53 47 53 36 16
Somewhat Agree 22 6 16 31 26 43 30
Strongly Agree 9 4 3 7 6 14 47
Strongly Disagree 25 50 25 11 21 11 26
Somewhat Disagree 45 34 49 50 56 45 26
Somewhat Agree 26 12 23 37 22 40 36
Strongly Agree 4 4 3 3 1 4 11
Strongly Disagree 62 55 60 58 57 68 91
Somewhat Disagree 26 29 30 27 28 20 7
Somewhat Agree 9 11 8 11 15 9 1
Strongly Agree 3 5 2 4 0 3 2
The actions of a single
individual won't make any
difference in global warming.
New technologies can solve
global warming, without
individuals having to make
big changes in their lives.
The best way for average
Americans to reduce their own
personal contributions to global
warming is to not have children.
n=2,129
Table 6|Beliefs about Potential Outcomes
and the Effectiveness of Actions, continued
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
90 global warming’s six americas 2009
Very high 45 67 51 35 57 20 10
High 35 27 37 46 31 36 25
Medium 16 5 11 17 10 35 42
Low 4 1 1 2 2 9 23
Very high 41 35 40 38 48 44 59
High 37 33 39 39 41 34 25
Medium 19 25 19 21 10 18 14
Low 3 7 2 2 1 4 2
Very high 40 48 40 35 53 30 25
High 41 34 46 42 34 39 51
Medium 18 16 14 21 12 28 22
Low 1 2 0 2 0 3 2
Very high 32 48 34 25 46 15 7
High 42 38 48 44 37 42 32
Medium 21 12 16 28 16 33 38
Low 4 2 2 4 1 9 22
Very high 30 28 29 25 39 25 42
High 36 32 33 42 39 36 33
Medium 28 26 32 28 21 34 18
Low 7 14 6 5 2 6 6
Very high 28 22 25 26 36 30 42
High 30 22 30 38 30 34 25
Medium 30 33 33 26 29 26 24
Low 12 23 12 10 5 10 9
Very high 21 60 21 8 13 0 0
High 33 34 50 29 39 6 0
Medium 29 6 28 47 42 40 11
Low 17 0 2 16 7 54 89
Very high 13 9 11 10 18 15 27
High 16 10 17 18 16 21 18
Medium 29 26 29 31 34 27 19
Low 42 54 43 40 32 37 36
Health care
Terrorism
Social security
Education
Tax cuts
Illegal immigration
Global warming
Abortion
Here are some issues now being discussed in Washington, D.C. Do you think each of these issues
should be a low, medium, high, or very high priority for the next president and Congress?
n=2,129
Table 7|Issue Priorities for the President
and Congress: National, continued
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 91
Very high 30 59 32 21 25 8 12
High 42 35 47 47 46 37 22
Medium 23 7 18 29 26 44 37
Low 5 0 2 4 3 10 29
Very high 27 74 30 12 13 1 0
High 30 24 47 28 36 3 0
Medium 27 2 21 49 44 42 12
Low 16 1 1 12 7 54 88
Very high 27 56 28 18 23 5 6
High 40 35 48 43 41 25 23
Medium 28 8 23 34 32 54 39
Low 6 0 2 5 4 15 32
Very high 25 63 30 11 16 1 1
High 33 30 47 30 37 11 3
Medium 31 7 22 50 40 52 32
Low 11 0 1 9 7 36 64
Very high 25 59 25 15 17 5 3
High 40 37 49 45 44 21 16
Medium 30 4 25 36 36 59 47
Low 6 0 1 4 4 15 33
Very high 21 51 20 15 12 4 5
High 33 37 44 32 31 15 12
Medium 32 11 29 38 46 52 27
Low 14 1 7 15 11 29 56
Very high 19 45 19 11 13 3 3
High 29 37 39 24 27 12 7
Medium 36 17 34 45 45 50 28
Low 17 1 9 19 15 35 63
Very high 14 33 13 9 8 4 3
High 28 34 33 25 28 13 12
Medium 41 26 43 47 48 46 33
Low 18 6 11 19 16 36 52
Very high 13 33 13 7 9 1 1
High 31 41 38 23 41 11 3
Medium 40 23 41 53 39 50 34
Low 16 3 8 18 11 38 63
Water pollution
Global warming
Toxic waste
Damage to Earth's ozone layer
Air pollution
Loss of tropical rainforests
Extinction of plant
and animal species
Urban sprawl and
loss of open spaces
Acid rain
Here are some environmental issues now being discussed in Washington, D.C. Do you think each
of these issues should be a low, medium, high, or very high priority for the next president and Congress?
n=2,129
Table 7|Issue Priorities for the
President and Congress: Environmental
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
92 global warming’s six americas 2009
31 55 36 14 13 0 0
19 9 12 27 38 36 26
13 13 17 12 12 2 0
10 5 10 8 13 23 18
9 3 10 15 7 12 18
7 7 5 10 2 7 21
7 6 6 7 8 12 5
4 2 3 5 5 8 13
1 0 0 2 2 0 0
1,445 352 550 252 166 86 39
Global warming
Water pollution
Damage to Earth's ozone layer
Toxic waste
Air pollution
Loss of tropical rainforests
Extinction of plant and animal species
Urban sprawl and loss of open spaces
Acid rain
Number of Respondents
Of the environmental issues that you said should be a priority, which one do you think is the most important? 1
n=2,129
1 Item skipped if respondent had one or fewer high environmental priorities
Table 7|Issue Priorities for the President
and Congress: Top Environmental Priority
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 93
67 94 87 56 38 38 33
2 0 1 6 3 4 1
7 1 4 12 4 18 12
4 0 1 1 0 5 36
19 4 6 25 55 35 17
People disagree whether the United States should reduce
greenhouse gas emissions on its own, or make reductions
only if other countries do too. Which of the following
statements comes closest to your own point of view? The
United States should reduce its greenhouse gas emissions …
Regardless of what other countries do
Only if other industrialized countries reduce their emissions 1
Only if other industrialized and developing countries do 2
The US should not reduce its emissions
Don’t know
n=2,129
1 Item wording: Only if other industrialized countries (such as England, Germany and Japan) reduce their emissions
2 Item wording: Only if other industrialized countries and developing countries (such as China, India and Brazil)
reduce their emissions
3 Item wording: A medium-scale effort, even if it has moderate economic costs
Table 8|Support for National
Response: Conditions for Action
Table 8|Support for National
Response: Magnitude of Action
34 79 40 19 22 3 0
40 20 55 53 49 18 5
17 1 5 26 18 55 26
9 0 1 2 10 24 68
How big of an effort should the United States make
to reduce global warming?
A large-scale effort, even if it has large economic costs
A medium-scale effort, even if moderate economic costs 3
A small-scale effort, even if it has small economic costs
No effort
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
94 global warming’s six americas 2009
Strongly support 54 87 59 44 33 28 37
Somewhat support 38 12 39 46 50 60 35
Somewhat oppose 6 1 2 8 15 10 14
Strongly oppose 2 1 0 2 1 2 14
Strongly support 41 70 47 34 21 20 21
Somewhat support 38 24 40 47 47 42 23
Somewhat oppose 13 3 10 17 16 22 23
Strongly oppose 8 2 3 3 16 15 32
Strongly support 38 66 41 32 16 23 24
Somewhat support 47 30 53 52 50 53 34
Somewhat oppose 11 3 5 12 29 17 21
Strongly oppose 4 2 1 4 5 7 22
Strongly support 37 21 30 36 35 56 84
Somewhat support 38 29 41 49 46 35 12
Somewhat oppose 14 21 19 10 13 5 3
Strongly oppose 11 30 10 5 6 4 1
Strongly support 31 60 35 21 15 11 16
Somewhat support 41 31 47 45 47 39 22
Somewhat oppose 17 6 13 24 23 27 18
Strongly oppose 11 2 4 10 16 24 44
Strongly support 30 71 33 18 14 5 1
Somewhat support 50 25 59 62 63 48 26
Somewhat oppose 13 3 7 16 17 32 29
Strongly oppose 7 0 2 4 6 15 44
Fund more research into
renewable energy sources, such
as solar and wind power.
Require automakers to increase
the fuel efficiency of vehicles to
45 mpg 1
Provide tax rebates for people
who purchase energy-efficient
vehicles or solar panels.
Expand offshore drilling for oil
and natural gas off the U.S. coast.
Require electric utilities to
produce at least 20% of their
electricity from wind, solar or
other renewable sources. 2
Regulate carbon dioxide
(the primary greenhouse gas)
as a pollutant.
How much do you support or oppose the following policies?
n=2,129
1 Item wording: Require automakers to increase the fuel efficiency of cars, trucks, and SUVS, to 45 mpg, even if it means
a new vehicle will cost up to $1,000 more to buy.
2 Item wording: Require 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.
Table 8|Support for National Response:
Specific Climate and Energy Policies
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 95
Strongly support 27 53 29 20 22 10 6
Somewhat support 45 39 53 51 45 33 20
Somewhat oppose 15 5 12 18 23 26 20
Strongly oppose 12 2 5 10 10 31 54
Strongly support 25 8 13 28 24 47 77
Somewhat support 32 19 34 42 39 36 12
Somewhat oppose 22 19 31 19 25 13 7
Strongly oppose 21 54 22 12 11 4 4
Strongly support 24 59 27 12 14 4 4
Somewhat support 44 35 56 50 48 27 9
Somewhat oppose 19 4 15 28 29 31 19
Strongly oppose 13 2 2 10 8 37 68
Strongly support 23 13 20 21 15 36 66
Somewhat support 38 37 37 42 42 40 22
Somewhat oppose 24 22 29 26 28 19 9
Strongly oppose 15 28 14 12 15 5 3
Strongly support 19 44 21 11 14 7 1
Somewhat support 43 44 55 43 40 30 14
Somewhat oppose 21 7 19 30 30 29 24
Strongly oppose 16 6 5 17 15 35 61
Strongly support 11 23 12 8 9 4 0
Somewhat support 42 37 52 47 43 28 16
Somewhat oppose 24 16 22 28 37 28 21
Strongly oppose 23 24 15 16 11 41 64
Strongly support 9 22 8 6 6 3 3
Somewhat support 24 29 28 23 21 19 7
Somewhat oppose 30 27 34 36 37 21 13
Strongly oppose 37 22 30 35 36 57 77
Provide a government subsidy
to replace old water heaters,
air conditioners, light bulbs,
and insulation. 1
Drill for oil in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge.
Sign an international treaty that
requires the United States to cut
its emissions of carbon dioxide
90% by the year 2050.
Build more nuclear power
plants.
Establish a special fund to help
make buildings more energy
efficient and teach Americans
how to reduce energy use. 2
Create a new national market
that allows companies to buy
and sell credits to emit greenhouse
gases within a national cap. 3
Increase taxes on gasoline by
25 cents per gallon and return
the revenues to taxpayers by
reducing the federal income tax.
How much do you support or oppose the following policies?
n=2,129
1 Item wording: Provide a government subsidy to replace old water heaters, air conditioners, light bulbs, and insulation.
This subsidy would cost the average household $5 a month in higher taxes. Those who took advantage of the program
would save money on their utility bills.
2 Item wording: Establish a special fund to help make buildings more energy efficient and teach Americans how to reduce
their energy use. This would add a $2.50 surcharge to the average household's monthly electric bill.
3 Item wording: Create a new national market that allows companies to buy and sell the right to emit the greenhouse gases
said to cause global warming. The federal government would set a national cap on emissions. Each company would then
purchase the right to emit a portion of this total amount. If a company then emitted more than its portion, it would have to
buy more emission rights from other companies or pay large fines.
Table 8|Support for National
Response: Specific Climate
and Energy Policies, continued
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
96 global warming’s six americas 2009
Much more 41 83 51 29 19 9 0
More 32 15 41 42 38 22 5
Right Amount 1 17 0 5 24 32 46 34
Less 5 1 2 3 7 12 17
Much less 6 0 2 2 3 10 44
Much more 30 75 34 14 12 5 0
More 42 25 58 54 45 19 4
Right Amount 1 20 0 6 28 36 58 35
Less 4 0 3 3 5 11 17
Much less 5 0 0 2 2 7 45
Much more 28 75 33 10 11 4 0
More 38 25 56 47 46 7 0
Right Amount 1 21 0 7 37 34 58 25
Less 6 0 2 4 6 18 22
Much less 7 0 2 2 4 13 53
Much more 26 69 28 9 12 4 0
More 41 31 61 50 43 10 0
Right Amount 1 20 0 7 36 35 54 20
Less 6 0 3 3 6 20 22
Much less 7 0 0 2 4 13 58
Much more 16 50 14 5 8 2 0
More 47 47 72 46 41 8 0
Right Amount 1 25 1 11 42 41 63 26
Less 6 1 3 5 7 17 22
Much less 6 0 0 2 3 11 52
Much more 16 51 14 5 8 2 0
More 46 46 69 46 42 9 0
Right Amount 1 26 3 13 42 39 61 28
Less 6 0 3 4 6 17 22
Much less 6 0 0 2 5 11 50
Much more 13 41 11 4 8 2 0
More 45 52 67 41 39 7 0
Right Amount 1 29 5 17 45 42 65 31
Less 7 1 4 7 6 15 19
Much less 6 0 0 3 5 10 50
Corporations and industry
Citizens themselves
The President 2
The U.S. Congress
Your state legislators
Your Governor
Your local government officials
Do you think the following should be doing more or less to address global warming?
n=2,129
1 Item wording: Currently doing the right amount
2 President George W. Bush
Table 9|Expectations of Elected
Officials, Corporations and Citizens
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 97
More frequently 13 37 13 6 3 1 0
About the same 70 60 73 73 71 80 60
Less frequently 17 3 14 20 26 19 40
More frequently 15 40 13 10 7 3 1
About the same 68 55 75 69 68 76 59
Less frequently 17 6 12 21 25 21 40
More frequently 16 42 17 7 10 1 0
About the same 68 53 71 72 67 79 59
Less frequently 16 5 12 20 23 20 41
18 52 17 9 5 3 0
Contact government
officials to urge them to take
action on global warming? 1
Attend a community
meeting or rally about
global warming?
Volunteer with or donate money
to an organization working
to reduce global warming?
Proportion who intend to contact
government officials over the coming year to
urge them to take action on global warming 2
Over the past 12 months, would you like to do each of the following …
n=2,129
1 Item wording: Write letters, email, or phone government officials to urge them to take action to reduce global warming?
2 Includes all those who have contacted officials in the past year and intend to do so about the same or more frequently, and
all those who have not contacted government officials in the past year, but intend to do so more frequently in the coming year.
Table 10|Political Activism: Intentions
Many times (6+) 1 3 0 0 0 0 0
Several times (4-5) 1 3 1 0 2 0 0
A few times (2-3) 3 11 1 3 0 3 0
Once 3 9 5 1 0 0 0
Never 89 72 92 95 89 95 98
Don’t know 2 2 1 2 8 2 2
Many times (6+) 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Several times (4-5) 1 1 0 2 0 0 0
A few times (2-3) 2 3 2 2 2 2 0
Once 3 9 3 1 1 0 0
Never 92 85 94 93 90 95 99
Don’t know 2 1 1 2 7 2 1
Many times (6+) 1 2 1 0 0 0 0
Several times (4-5) 1 3 1 0 0 0 0
A few times (2-3) 4 13 3 3 2 2 0
Once 7 14 11 3 1 1 0
Never 84 63 84 92 89 95 99
Don’t know 3 3 1 2 8 2 1
Contacted government
officials to urge them to
take action on global warming 1
Attended a community meeting
or rally about global warming?
Volunteered with or donated
money to an organization
working to reduce global
warming?
Over the past 12 months, how many times have you done each of the following?
Table 10|Political Activism: Actions
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
98 global warming’s six americas 2009
33 20 37 42 33 38 20
23 17 23 29 20 28 13
18 20 21 20 23 6 0
18 22 21 21 12 14 7
16 12 19 22 13 15 4
10 0 3 8 6 34 38
10 8 12 11 13 9 3
10 0 0 5 2 34 74
1 1 0 1 2 2 0
21 33 20 19 25 10 4
I am not an activist
It wouldn’t make any difference if I did
I don’t know how
I'm too busy
It's too much effort
I don't think it’s important
I would feel uncomfortable
I do not believe in global warming
Someone else in my home would object
None of the above would prevent me from doing this
There are many reasons why people do not write letters, emails, or call
their elected officials about global warming. Which of the following reasons
might prevent you from taking these actions? Please check all that apply.
n=2,129
Table 10|Political Activism:
Barriers to Contacting Officials
33 37 37 34 34 23 7
24 25 29 28 15 16 8
16 11 15 22 15 19 12
14 11 15 22 11 13 4
12 15 14 12 12 9 4
10 13 9 14 13 5 1
10 0 0 4 4 33 75
9 1 2 11 4 36 29
1 1 1 1 0 3 1
19 22 21 19 25 15 5
I am not an activist
It wouldn’t make any difference if I did
I don’t know how
I'm too busy
It's too much effort
I don’t think it's important
I would feel uncomfortable
I do not believe in global warming
Someone else in my home would object
None of the above would prevent me from doing this
There are many reasons why people do not attend community
meetings or rallies about global warming. Which of the following
reasons might prevent you from attending? Please check all that apply.
Table 10|Political Activism: Barriers
to Attending Meetings and Rallies
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 99
45 49 56 47 44 30 8
12 6 12 15 10 20 8
12 10 15 20 7 8 5
11 0 0 5 5 38 75
9 0 3 8 5 38 29
7 7 7 10 11 4 0
6 2 7 10 3 13 3
5 4 5 9 2 6 4
5 3 4 7 8 5 1
2 2 2 2 0 2 3
21 31 21 18 29 10 5
I can’t afford it
It wouldn’t make any difference if I did
I’m too busy
I do not believe in global warming
I don’t think it's important
I don’t know how
I could afford it, but don’t want to spend the money
It’s too much effort
I would feel uncomfortable
Someone else in my home would object
None of the above would prevent me from doing this
There are many reasons why people do not volunteer or donate money
to organizations working on global warming. Which of the following
reasons might prevent you from volunteering or donating money?
n=2,129
Table 10|Political Activism: Barriers
to Volunteering and Donating Money
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
Completely confident 14 21 8 0 0 33 0
Moderately confident 39 44 38 17 17 33 0
Little bit confident 36 26 41 75 50 33 0
Not at all confident 11 9 13 8 33 0 0
Number of respondents 263 140 90 24 6 3 0
Completely confident 8 9 5 13 0 14 0
Moderately confident 33 40 32 18 38 0 0
Little bit confident 47 40 48 63 50 86 100
Not at all confident 12 11 16 8 13 0 0
Number of respondents 302 150 88 40 16 7 1
Completely confident 10 16 5 0 0 50 0
Moderately confident 33 33 28 34 52 0 0
Little bit confident 49 44 57 55 39 50 0
Not at all confident 8 7 9 10 9 0 0
Number of respondents 333 162 117 29 23 2 0
Write letters, email or phone
government officials to urge
them to take action to reduce
global warming
Attend a community meeting
or rally on global warming
Volunteer with or donate money
to an organization working to
reduce global warming
How confident are you that you can do these things more frequently over the next 12 months? 1
1 Asked of all who intend to do the action more frequently in the future
Table 10|Political Activism:
Confidence in Own Ability to Act
100 global warming’s six americas 2009
Highly effective 2 6 2 1 0 0 0
Pretty effective 12 28 14 8 4 7 4
A little effect 42 45 53 44 31 28 16
No effect 28 13 21 27 40 47 59
Don’t know 16 9 10 21 26 18 22
Highly effective 2 5 2 1 0 0 0
Pretty effective 12 26 15 8 4 2 0
A little effect 38 44 48 38 25 27 12
No effect 33 14 24 35 46 54 66
Don’t know 15 11 11 18 25 16 22
Highly effective 4 12 5 3 0 0 1
Pretty effective 17 35 22 11 4 8 2
A little effect 37 37 46 39 31 25 16
No effect 26 7 16 27 39 51 60
Don’t know 15 10 11 19 25 16 22
Write letters, email or phone
government officials to urge
them to take action to reduce
global warming
Attend a community meeting
or rally on global warming
Volunteer with or donate money
to an organization working to
reduce global warming
If you were to do each of the following, how effective would it be in
getting government officials to take action to reduce global warming?
n=2,129
Table 10|Political Activism:
Perceived Effectiveness of Own Action
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
Many times (6+) 4 17 3 1 0 0 0
Several times (4-5) 9 25 9 3 3 2 3
A few times (2-3) 18 28 24 12 9 9 3
Once 3 1 7 3 1 1 3
Never 47 14 37 63 60 65 78
Don’t Know 20 15 20 19 27 23 14
Many times (6+) 5 19 4 1 0 1 1
Several times (4-5) 6 16 6 2 2 1 0
A few times (2-3) 11 22 15 6 6 4 1
Once 3 2 4 4 1 0 1
Never 54 21 46 68 63 77 84
Don’t Know 22 20 25 19 28 17 12
Rewarded companies that are
taking steps to reduce global
warming by buying their
products.
Punished companies that
are opposing steps to reduce
global warming by NOT
buying their products.
Over the past 12 months, how many times have you done these things?
n=2,129
Table 11|Consumer Activism: Actions
an audience segmentation analysis 101
More frequently 2 40 77 56 22 21 7 1
About the same 3 53 19 40 69 76 88 78
Less frequently 4 7 4 5 10 3 5 22
More frequently 40 78 54 23 21 8 1
About the same 56 20 42 72 72 90 90
Less frequently 4 2 4 5 7 2 9
58 96 77 40 36 18 19
Over the next 12 months,
will you punish companies
by not buying their products … 1
Over the next 12 months,
will you reward companies
by buying their products … 5
Proportion who intend to engage in
consumer activism over the coming year 6
n=2,129
1 Item wording: Over the next 12 months, would you like to punish companies that are opposing steps to reduce global
warming by NOT buying their products …
2,3,4 Item wording: More frequently than you are now?; About the same as you are now?; Less frequently than you are now?
5 Item wording: Over the next 12 months do you intend to buy the products of companies that are taking steps
to reduce global warming …
6 Includes all those who have rewarded and/or punished companies in the past year and plan to continue to do so about the same
or more frequently, and all those who have never engaged in these actions, but intend to do so more frequently in the coming year.
Table 11|Consumer Activism: Intentions
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
69 79 80 73 66 50 13
23 22 24 29 23 19 8
23 13 23 32 18 31 14
13 1 3 16 9 39 52
11 6 12 17 6 12 7
7 1 7 9 8 11 4
7 0 1 2 4 16 55
5 2 5 8 7 6 5
2 3 3 2 1 4 1
I don’t know which companies to punish
I can’t afford to do this
My actions won’t have any influence on a company
I don’t think it’s important to do this
It would be inconvenient
It’s too much effort
We don’t need to reduce global warming
I’m too busy
Someone else in my home would object if I did this
Which of the following reasons might prevent you from punishing
companies that oppose steps to reduce global warming? Check all that apply.
n=2,129
Table 11|Consumer Activism: Barriers
102 global warming’s six americas 2009
Already have done this 55 60 53 49 45 71 65
Like to/probably will 2 5 8 5 5 3 3 4
Like to/probably won’t 3 9 5 11 12 8 9 5
No intention to do this 2 0 2 4 2 3 5
Not applicable 28 27 29 29 43 15 21
Already have done this 64 68 62 58 57 75 75
Like to/probably will 2 13 15 16 13 10 5 5
Like to/probably won’t 3 11 6 12 15 12 13 7
No intention to do this 4 1 4 6 3 5 6
Not applicable 8 9 6 8 18 2 7
Already have done this 51 56 50 50 40 56 50
Like to/probably will 2 5 7 5 5 7 3 1
Like to/probably won’t 3 21 20 24 24 17 19 11
No intention to do this 8 2 6 7 12 12 18
Not applicable 16 15 15 14 25 10 20
Already have done this 52 61 51 47 47 56 54
Like to/probably will 2 5 4 7 6 7 3 0
Like to/probably won’t 3 17 10 20 21 13 16 15
No intention to do this 6 2 3 10 9 8 13
Not applicable 19 22 19 17 24 16 18
Already have done this 59 62 63 54 47 57 62
Like to/probably will 2 7 10 7 6 8 6 6
Like to/probably won’t 3 20 18 21 24 18 20 8
No intention to do this 8 1 5 11 11 14 17
Not applicable 7 8 4 5 15 4 7
Already have done this 46 60 50 37 41 34 33
Like to/probably will 2 28 30 33 24 24 24 14
Like to/probably won’t 3 16 7 12 26 27 20 14
No intention to do this 11 2 6 13 8 22 39
Already have done this 21 23 20 18 18 23 28
Like to/probably will 2 20 29 21 18 16 14 17
Like to/probably won’t 3 41 38 45 44 39 35 32
No intention to do this 15 5 12 17 24 25 23
Not applicable 3 5 3 4 3 3 0
Install new insulation
in the attic
Caulk and weather-strip
the home to reduce drafts
Purchase an
energy-efficient
home furnace
Purchase an
energy-efficient
home air conditioner
Purchase an
energy-efficienct
home water heater
Change most of the
light bulbs in your home to
high energy-efficiency compact
fluorescents (CFLs)
Purchase a car that
that averages 30 miles per
gallon or more
Table 12|Energy-Efficiency
Actions and Intentions 1
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
The next questions ask about energy-related actions you might like to do. Which
of the following best describes what you are likely to do over the next 12 months?
n=2,129
1 Response categories were created by combining questions that first asked respondents which energy-efficiency
improvements they had made, followed by questions on their intentions over the coming year if they had not yet
made the improvement. Go to http://climatechange.gmu.edu to see the full questions and response options.
2 Item wording: Would like to do this and probably will
3 Item wording: Would like to do this but probably won’t
an audience segmentation analysis 103
I can’t afford it 44 58 45 42 44 37 38
I don’t know how 19 3 36 11 12 10 19
It’s too much effort 10 3 10 13 0 15 23
I’m too busy 10 0 11 11 2 13 27
I don’t want to pay for it 2 4 0 5 2 4 5 14
Someone would object 3 2 3 2 1 0 0 9
Number of respondents 341 31 113 85 51 39 22
I can’t afford it 28 21 30 22 33 38 33
I don’t know how 21 19 20 25 18 21 13
It’s too much effort 14 15 12 14 7 19 29
I’m too busy 12 2 12 16 7 17 25
I don’t want to pay for it 2 4 7 1 5 0 9 8
Someone would object 3 3 0 3 1 8 0 0
Number of respondents 478 58 152 108 83 53 24
I can’t afford it 42 41 46 43 29 44 41
I don't need a new one yet 29 25 28 34 18 33 48
I don’t want to pay for it 2 5 2 3 7 3 9 9
It’s too much effort 2 1 2 1 2 3 4
I’m too busy 2 0 3 2 1 3 6
Someone would object 3 2 4 1 2 5 0 4
Number of respondents 788 109 260 164 122 80 53
I can’t afford it 47 54 51 46 32 50 47
I don't need a new one yet 31 30 31 32 24 31 43
I don't need one 8 7 4 11 6 16 12
I don’t want to pay for it 2 5 3 4 4 2 13 6
Someone would object 3 3 5 1 6 1 0 2
It’s too much effort 2 5 2 2 1 1 4
I’m too busy 2 5 0 2 0 3 12
Number of respondents 641 74 205 146 97 68 51
Install new insulation
in their attics
Caulk and weather-strip
their homes to reduce drafts
Purchase an energy-efficient
home furnace
Purchase an energy-efficient
home air conditioner
There are many reasons why people don’t [insert item below].
Please check all of the reasons below that apply to you.
1 Respondents were asked these questions if: (1) they had not made an energy-efficiency improvement; and (2) they
would like to make the improvement but probably won't; they do not intend to make the improvement; or they don't know.
2 Survey wording: I could afford it, but don’t want to spend the money
3 Survey wording: Someone else in my home would object
Table 13|Barriers to Home
Energy-Efficiency Improvements 1
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
104 global warming’s six americas 2009
I can’t afford it 36 36 43 38 24 33 37
I don't need a new one yet 36 26 31 42 24 49 59
I don’t want to pay for it 2 4 3 2 2 3 10 8
It’s too much effort 2 3 0 1 3 2 6
I’m too busy 2 4 0 2 0 4 8
Someone would object 3 1 0 1 1 0 0 2
Number of respondents 768 101 233 175 119 91 49
I don’t need new ones yet 30 27 24 32 26 37 31
I don’t like them 28 33 26 22 15 37 47
They are too expensive 27 17 31 24 23 34 27
I can’t afford it 23 12 28 29 25 23 8
I rent my home 13 7 19 11 20 7 11
I don’t want to pay for it 2 10 12 5 11 6 14 15
Someone would object 3 5 0 8 3 7 3 4
It’s too much effort 3 0 2 4 2 3 5
I’m too busy 3 0 2 5 0 5 4
Number of respondents 657 42 158 168 103 101 85
I can’t afford to 47 47 53 46 51 40 29
I don’t need a new car 45 33 47 46 36 60 56
I drive a fuel-efficient car 4 22 30 22 18 16 23 32
They’re too small 17 12 16 19 14 25 28
They’re not safe 9 5 7 8 8 13 19
They’re not powerful 5 8 6 6 6 4 16 15
Someone would object 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 3
Number of respondents 1,739 276 574 338 225 197 129
Purchase an energy-efficient
home water heater
Change most of the
light bulbs in their homes
to high energy-efficiency
compact fluorescents (CFLs)
Purchase cars that average
30 miles per gallon or more
There are many reasons why people don’t [insert item below].
Please check all of the reasons below that apply to you.
1 Respondents were asked these questions if: (1) they had not made an energy-efficiency improvement; and (2) they
would like to make the improvement but probably won't; they do not intend to make the improvement; or they don't know.
2 Survey wording: I could afford it, but don’t want to spend the money
3 Survey wording: Someone else in my home would object
4 Item wording: I already drive a fuel-efficient vehicle
5 Item wording: They’re not powerful enough
Table 13|Barriers to Home
Energy-Efficiency
Improvements,1 continued
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 105
20 30 23 16 18 8 9
43 43 42 40 47 47 48
16 15 19 16 13 11 12
14 8 13 15 12 23 25
2 1 1 2 3 1 1
3 1 1 5 3 7 3
0 0 0 1 2 0 0
0 0 0 2 0 1 1
0 1 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 0 0 0
1 0 0 3 2 1 1
Always do this & intend to do more often
Always do this & intend to do the same
Often do this & intend to do more often
Often do this & intend to do the same
Sometimes do this & intend to do more often
Sometimes do this & intend to do the same
Rarely do this & intend to do more often
Rarely do this & intend to do the same
Never do this & intend to do more often
Never do this & intend to do the same
Intend to do this less frequently or not applicable
n=2,129
1 Categories were created by combining questions that asked respondents how often they perform the conservation action,
and how much they intend to engage in it in the coming year. Go to http://climatechange.gmu.edu to see the full questions
and response options.
Table 14|Energy Conservation Actions
and Intentions1: Turning Off Lights
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
9 13 8 10 9 7 3
26 27 27 23 20 28 31
7 10 10 5 5 3 3
14 13 13 13 19 13 17
3 4 4 3 2 1 5
9 7 8 9 13 14 7
1 0 1 2 0 0 0
5 3 5 6 3 11 6
0 1 0 0 2 0 0
5 3 4 6 1 5 11
20 20 19 22 26 18 16
Always do this & intend to do more often
Always do this & intend to do the same
Often do this & intend to do more often
Often do this & intend to do the same
Sometimes do this & intend to do more often
Sometimes do this & intend to do the same
Rarely do this & intend to do more often
Rarely do this & intend to do the same
Never do this & intend to do more often
Never do this & intend to do the same
Intend to do this less frequently or not applicable
9 16 9 7 11 8 3
29 35 28 28 24 26 32
9 11 11 8 7 2 5
16 12 15 14 16 20 26
5 4 8 6 2 2 2
10 4 9 10 9 22 6
1 0 2 1 1 1 1
6 4 5 7 5 7 9
1 0 0 1 2 0 0
3 2 3 4 4 5 5
12 12 10 14 20 6 11
Always do this & intend to do more often
Always do this & intend to do the same
Often do this & intend to do more often
Often do this & intend to do the same
Sometimes do this & intend to do more often
Sometimes do this & intend to do the same
Rarely do this & intend to do more often
Rarely do this & intend to do the same
Never do this & intend to do more often
Never do this & intend to do the same
Intend to do this less frequently or not applicable
In the summer, set the thermostat to 76 degrees
or warmer, or use less air conditioning …
In the winter, set the thermostat to 68 degrees or cooler …
n=2,129
1 Categories were created by combining questions that asked respondents how often they perform the conservation action,
and how much they intend to engage in it in the coming year. Go to http://climatechange.gmu.edu to see the full questions
and response options.
Table 14|Energy Conservation Actions
and Intentions1: Home Cooling and Heating
106 global warming’s six americas 2009
3 7 4 2 1 0 2
4 5 2 5 8 0 1
5 10 4 3 2 5 1
7 11 4 8 6 4 9
7 10 10 7 2 4 3
12 12 15 10 10 11 13
5 7 6 5 2 8 3
14 12 14 11 12 19 17
2 2 3 2 2 2 3
21 11 21 22 21 31 28
21 14 17 25 36 17 21
Always do this & intend to do more often
Always do this & intend to do the same
Often do this & intend to do more often
Often do this & intend to do the same
Sometimes do this & intend to do more often
Sometimes do this & intend to do the same
Rarely do this & intend to do more often
Rarely do this & intend to do the same
Never do this & intend to do more often
Never do this & intend to do the same
Intend to do this less frequently or not applicable
3 7 3 1 2 0 1
6 6 4 6 15 2 1
3 5 3 3 0 3 2
5 8 5 5 5 2 7
4 8 5 4 1 1 0
10 7 11 11 9 12 9
4 7 4 3 1 2 3
14 14 16 10 12 16 16
2 2 3 2 3 1 1
24 16 21 28 19 38 36
25 20 25 28 31 23 24
Always do this & intend to do more often
Always do this & intend to do the same
Often do this & intend to do more often
Often do this & intend to do the same
Sometimes do this & intend to do more often
Sometimes do this & intend to do the same
Rarely do this & intend to do more often
Rarely do this & intend to do the same
Never do this & intend to do more often
Never do this & intend to do the same
Intend to do this less frequently or not applicable
Walk or bike instead of drive …
Use public transportation or car pool …
n=2,129
1 Categories were created by combining questions that asked respondents how often they perform the conservation action,
and how much they intend to engage in it in the coming year. Go to http://climatechange.gmu.edu to see the full questions
and response options.
Table 14|Energy Conservation
Actions and Intentions1: Transportation
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 107
85 89 90 82 81 83 75
5 3 3 5 9 4 6
5 4 6 3 9 7 3
3 2 1 6 1 2 8
3 0 2 3 2 4 8
3 3 3 4 2 2 3
2 1 2 2 3 3 3
4 5 3 6 2 3 10
1,309 198 396 253 165 178 119
I’m already doing this as much as I can
It’s too hard to remember
I’m more comfortable with many lights on
It's too inconvenient
I don’t think it’s important
Someone else in my home would object
I’m too busy
Other
Number of respondents
1 Asked of all who intend to do the action the same or less frequently in future
There are many reasons why people don’t turn off lights when they’re
not needed. Please check all of the reasons below that apply to you. 1
Table 15|Barriers to Energy
Conservation Actions: Turning Off Lights
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
51 52 53 49 53 49 53
23 17 20 26 27 26 24
15 21 16 15 7 18 11
8 8 9 8 9 7 8
5 5 5 4 7 4 2
1 1 1 1 0 1 1
1 0 1 2 1 2 3
1 0 1 2 3 1 3
1 0 0 0 3 1 0
1,618 262 530 302 194 198 132
I’m already doing this as much as I can
I prefer my home to be cooler than 76 degrees in summer
I don’t have air conditioning
Someone else in my home would object
I can’t set an exact temperature on my AC unit
It’s too inconvenient
I don’t think it’s important
I don’t know how to set my thermostat
I’m too busy
Number of respondents
1 Asked of all who intend to do the action the same or less frequently in future
There are many reasons why people don’t set the thermostat to
76 degrees or warmer or use less air conditioning in the summer.
Please check all of the reasons below that apply to you. 1
57 63 57 51 57 61 57
26 20 26 31 24 31 24
9 9 11 10 3 8 16
6 11 7 7 3 4 1
4 4 4 3 12 1 0
2 1 1 5 4 1 2
2 0 1 4 3 2 4
1 1 2 2 0 1 1
1 0 1 0 3 0 1
0 0 0 0 3 0 0
1,537 253 481 292 185 192 134
I’m already doing this as much as I can
I prefer my home to be warmer than 68 degrees in winter
Someone else in my home would object
I don’t have a thermostat
I can’t control my thermostat
It’s too hard to remember
I don’t think it’s important
It’s too inconvenient
I’m too busy
I don’t know how to set my thermostat
Number of respondents
There are many reasons why people don’t set the thermostat
to 68 degrees or cooler in the winter. Please check all of the
reasons below that apply to you. 1
Table 15|Barriers to Energy Conservation
Actions: Home Cooling and Heating
108 global warming’s six americas 2009
54 50 57 61 40 57 58
21 23 21 21 19 24 13
20 32 20 18 18 12 16
19 17 21 20 11 19 28
19 15 20 17 19 24 22
14 21 13 11 11 16 19
13 15 11 14 15 14 10
8 7 7 10 7 12 8
6 6 6 6 6 7 10
2 1 2 2 0 4 6
2 2 0 4 2 1 4
1,599 232 514 310 228 182 133
The distances I travel are too far
I can’t, due to my health or physical condition
I’m already doing this as much as I can
The weather makes it too uncomfortable
It would take too much time
I already drive a fuel-efficient vehicle
I wouldn’t feel safe
It’s too much effort
I’m too busy
I don't think it’s important
Someone else in my home would object
Number of respondents
1 Asked of all who intend to do the action the same or less frequently in future
There are many reasons why people don’t walk or bike instead
of drive. Please check all of the reasons below that apply to you. 1
Table 15|Barriers to Energy
Conservation Actions: Walking and Biking
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
36 39 34 32 29 44 43
34 34 33 35 22 44 39
27 22 30 26 17 29 32
17 23 20 14 18 15 9
16 11 15 18 19 12 20
16 21 14 13 17 16 23
8 8 8 8 10 6 12
8 7 9 5 7 6 11
7 4 6 7 7 6 12
3 3 3 4 1 3 6
3 4 2 1 6 2 1
3 1 2 2 3 2 10
1 0 1 1 1 0 1
1 2 0 3 3 0 1
1,744 261 567 336 231 206 143
I don’t have the option
They are not available in my area
It’s too inconvenient
I’m already doing this as much as I can
I like to commute by myself
I already drive a fuel-efficient vehicle
It's physically too uncomfortable
It’s too much effort
I wouldn’t feel safe
I’m too busy
I can't afford it
I don't think it’s important
I could afford it, but I don’t want to spend the money
Someone else in my home would object
Number of respondents
1 Asked of all who intend to do the action the same or less frequently in future
There are many reasons why people don’t use public transportation
or car pool. Please check all of the reasons below that apply to you. 1
Table 15|Barriers to Energy
Conservation Actions: Using
Public Transportation, Carpooling
an audience segmentation analysis 109
92 94 93 89 85 94 91
86 97 86 85 75 87 71
38 70 36 28 26 6 0
36 56 32 29 24 32 24
34 52 33 33 17 15 15
13 24 8 16 15 4 0
11 16 11 10 6 4 9
10 9 10 9 17 11 12
812 181 311 146 93 47 34
It saves me money
It saves energy
It helps reduce global warming
It’s the moral thing to do
It makes me feel good about myself
Other people approve when I do it
People I care about are doing it
Someone asked me to
Number of respondents
1 Asked of all who intend to do the action more frequently in the future.
There are many reasons why people turn off the lights when they are not
needed. Please check all the reasons below that make you want to do this. 1
Table 16|Benefits of Energy
Conservation: Turning Off Lights
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
87 88 93 81 74 93 95
82 97 81 79 65 81 58
38 68 43 29 12 7 0
24 42 18 22 16 26 0
23 37 21 25 7 7 11
12 15 5 15 11 22 21
10 14 8 12 7 7 5
6 12 2 11 5 4 0
477 110 172 92 57 27 19
It saves me money
It saves energy
It helps reduce global warming
It’s the moral thing to do
It makes me feel good about myself
Someone asked me to
People I care about are doing it
Other people approve when I do it
Number of respondents
1 Asked of all who intend to do the action more frequently in the future.
There are many reasons why people set the thermostat to 76
degrees or warmer or use less air conditioning in the summer.
Please check all the reasons below that make you want to do this. 1
89 95 91 86 79 88 94
81 98 84 79 55 69 65
34 68 35 25 12 0 0
24 47 17 25 9 19 0
22 36 22 23 3 9 12
7 13 7 8 1 0 6
6 6 4 8 7 3 0
5 6 5 7 6 0 0
558 124 217 101 67 32 17
It saves me money
It saves energy
It helps reduce global warming
It’s the moral thing to do
It makes me feel good about myself
People I care about are doing it
Someone asked me to
Other people approve when I do it
Number of respondents
There are many reasons why people set the thermostat
to 68 degrees or cooler in the winter. Please check all
the reasons below that make you want to do this. 1
Table 16|Benefits of Energy
Conservation: Home Cooling and Heating
110 global warming’s six americas 2009
76 75 77 77 72 69 88
74 77 77 65 54 79 71
54 78 49 47 20 40 35
49 57 54 34 32 47 35
48 87 53 15 4 7 0
14 30 10 8 4 2 6
9 14 10 2 8 5 0
8 12 10 1 8 5 0
4 5 3 5 12 0 6
507 143 193 86 25 43 17
It is good for my own or someone else's health
It saves me money
It saves energy
It makes me feel good about myself
It helps reduce global warming
It’s the moral thing to do
Other people approve when I do it
People I care about are doing it
Someone asked me to
Number of respondents
1 Asked of all who intend to do the action more frequently in the future.
There are many reasons why people walk or bike instead of driving.
Please check all the reasons below that make you want to do this. 1
Table 16|Benefits of Energy
Conservation: Transportation
73 72 84 50 68 81 82
62 73 68 40 29 44 73
57 85 64 27 5 13 0
30 38 33 18 10 25 27
23 34 21 14 0 25 18
8 14 6 5 5 0 0
8 9 3 17 10 6 9
8 9 6 5 14 19 8
364 117 140 59 21 16 11
It saves me money
It saves energy
It helps reduce global warming
It makes me feel good about myself
It’s the moral thing to do
People I care about are doing it
Someone asked me to
Other people approve when I do it
Number of respondents
There are many reasons why people use public transportation or carpool.
Please check all the reasons below that make you want to do this. 1
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 111
Completely confident 66 81 68 54 55 68 35
Moderately confident 31 18 30 41 36 30 56
A little bit confident 3 1 2 4 9 2 9
Not confident at all 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Number of respondents 812 182 311 146 92 47 34
Completely confident 55 64 56 54 47 50 22
Moderately confident 35 29 35 35 36 43 50
A little bit confident 9 7 8 7 16 7 28
Not confident at all 1 1 1 4 2 0 0
Number of respondents 475 107 172 92 58 28 18
Completely confident 55 71 53 47 51 56 33
Moderately confident 34 23 38 38 30 28 50
A little bit confident 10 6 8 12 19 16 11
Not confident at all 1 1 0 3 0 0 6
Number of respondents 558 124 217 100 67 32 18
Completely confident 35 47 29 36 42 19 24
Moderately confident 34 29 36 28 35 52 29
A little bit confident 23 20 25 25 15 21 41
Not confident at all 8 4 10 11 8 7 6
Number of respondents 503 143 190 85 26 42 17
Completely confident 31 43 25 32 19 33 9
Moderately confident 33 28 41 20 57 27 27
A little bit confident 26 24 28 29 10 20 55
Not confident at all 9 5 7 19 14 20 9
Number of respondents 359 115 138 59 21 15 11
Turn off the lights
when they are
not needed
In the summer, set the
thermostat to 76 degrees or
warmer, or use less air
conditioning
In the winter, set the
thermostat to 68 degrees
or cooler
Walk or bike instead of drive
Use public transportation
or car pool
The following are the actions that you said you would like to do more
frequently over the next 12 months. How confident are you that you
can do these things more frequently over the next 12 months? 1
1 Asked of all who intend to do the action more frequently in the future.
Table 17|Confidence in Ability
to Conserve Energy
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
112 global warming’s six americas 2009
Very often 4 17 1 2 0 4 3
Occasionally 36 69 47 16 2 23 30
Rarely 33 12 40 46 25 33 36
Never 26 2 12 35 73 41 31
More than 10 2 6 1 0 0 1 5
5-10 3 10 2 1 1 1 1
1-4 32 62 39 20 10 13 14
0 63 22 58 78 89 85 80
All 4 10 1 2 4 4 14
Most 24 48 19 7 2 32 49
Some 30 32 38 25 15 27 26
Few 25 9 32 42 17 19 7
None 18 0 9 24 63 19 4
Strongly agree 4 12 3 3 2 1 1
Somewhat agree 44 57 53 38 32 33 24
Somewhat disagree 40 23 37 49 51 51 43
Strongly disagree 11 8 7 9 14 15 32
Yes 26 62 30 11 7 9 16
No 51 18 42 66 59 78 78
Don’t know 23 21 28 23 35 13 6
How often do you discuss
global warming with your
family and friends?
How many people have you
spoken with about global
warming in the last two weeks?
How many of your
friends share your views
on global warming?
Most of my friends are
trying to act in ways that
reduce global warming.
In general, do you like
to talk with other people
about global warming?
n=2,129
Table 18|Interpersonal
Communication and Social Influence
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
Yes 6 12 5 3 0 4 12
No 86 74 87 92 93 88 81
Don’t know 8 13 8 5 7 8 7
Yes 9 20 7 5 0 7 14
No 55 27 55 69 68 66 51
Don’t know 36 53 38 26 32 28 34
Do people you know
come to you for advice
about global warming?
Do you think other people
consider you a good source of
advice about global warming?
n=2,129
1 First and third options randomized.
10 0.24 0.08 0.04 0.00 0.08 0.19
35 0.54 0.42 0.27 0.08 0.31 0.28
18 0.11 0.21 0.23 0.23 0.13 0.07
37 0.11 0.29 0.45 0.68 0.48 0.46
Give more information than you receive?
Give and receive about the same amount of information?
Receive more information than you give?
Don’t know
When you talk with other people about global warming, do you usually …
an audience segmentation analysis 113
Yes 85 87 84 82 78 89 95
No 13 11 14 16 18 10 4
Don’t know 2 2 2 2 4 1 1
Are you registered to vote?
n=2,129
1 Item wording: Written or called any politician at the state, local, or national level
2 Item wording: Written a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine or called a live radio or TV show to express an opinion
3 Item wording: Attended a political rally or speech or organized protest of any kind
4 Item wording: Been an active member of any group that tries to influence public policy or government
5 Index created by summing the number of types of activity performed from the above list. The average does not reflect possible
multiple actions of each type. For example, if the respondent wrote ten letters to politicians, this would only count as one action.
Table 19|Civic Engagement:
Registered Voter
Table 19|Civic Engagement: Activities of the Past Year
17 35 12 10 5 22 31
14 24 13 10 4 13 19
10 13 10 7 4 10 15
8 11 8 6 3 11 12
8 15 5 5 2 8 15
8 17 6 3 1 8 16
6 10 5 3 3 5 8
4 11 3 2 2 2 5
4 5 4 2 1 5 6
1 2 1 1 0 3 1
0 0 0 2 0 0 0
56 37 58 64 73 54 44
0.80 1.40 0.70 0.50 0.30 0.90 1.30
Contacted a politician at the state, local, or national level 1
Attended a public meeting on town or school affairs
Served on a committee of a local organization
Served as an officer of a local club or organization
Written a letter to the editor or called into a radio, TV show 2
Attended a political rally, speech or organized protest 3
Been an active member of a group trying to change policy 4
Worked for a political party
Made a speech
Written an article for a magazine or newspaper
Held or run for political office
None of the above
Average number of above activities performed 5
Which, if any, of the following have you done in the past 12 months?
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
114 global warming’s six americas 2009
No party 1 11 7 9 17 18 8 5
Other; please specify 2 2 2 1 1 3 10
Independent 21 24 23 18 16 24 19
Democrat 38 58 47 32 41 9 3
Republican 27 9 19 33 23 56 64
Very conservative 9 3 4 9 8 17 39
Somewhat conservative 24 11 16 32 23 44 37
Moderate 2 40 38 45 41 44 33 20
Somewhat liberal 21 32 29 15 19 6 1
Very liberal 6 16 6 3 6 0 2
Most important issue 4 2 3 1 2 8 1 0
One of several issues 5 61 96 80 46 46 15 14
Not an important issue 37 1 18 52 47 85 86
Generally speaking, do
you think of yourself as a …
In general, do you think
of yourself as…
How important will a candidate’s
views on global warming be in
deciding your vote for president? 3
n=2,129
1 Item wording: No party/not interested in politics
2 Item wording: Moderate, middle of the road
3 Item wording: How important will a candidate’s views on global warming be in determining your vote for President this year?
Will it be the single most important issue, one of several important issues, or not important in determining your vote?
4 Item wording: The single most important issue
5 Item wording: One of several important issues
Table 20|Political Affiliation and Ideology
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 115
Strongly agree 9 18 8 8 9 5 1
Somewhat agree 34 44 39 36 42 9 5
Somewhat disagree 33 27 37 35 33 42 19
Strongly disagree 23 11 15 22 16 43 75
Strongly agree 15 30 14 11 19 8 5
Somewhat agree 31 35 36 32 39 17 8
Somewhat disagree 26 21 30 31 25 23 15
Strongly disagree 27 14 20 27 17 52 71
Strongly agree 20 39 22 15 12 7 4
Somewhat agree 53 46 61 52 65 46 26
Somewhat disagree 20 12 14 27 18 35 28
Strongly disagree 8 3 3 6 6 12 42
Strongly agree 24 45 25 18 26 10 3
Somewhat agree 46 41 52 48 50 39 27
Somewhat disagree 23 11 19 26 17 41 48
Strongly disagree 7 4 4 8 7 10 22
2.6 3.0 2.7 2.5 2.7 2.1 1.7
The world would be a more
peaceful place if its wealth were
divided more equally
among nations.
In my ideal society, all basic
needs (food, housing, health care,
education) would be guaranteed
by the government for everyone.
I support government programs
to get rid of poverty.
Discrimination against minorities
is still a very serious problem
in our society.
Average on these four measures 1
n=2,129
1 Average computed on a scale where: 1=strongly disagree; 2=somewhat disagree; 3=somewhat agree; 4=strongly agree.
Table 21|Values, Traits
and Attitudes: Egalitarianism
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
116 global warming’s six americas 2009
Strongly agree 20 10 13 20 22 34 56
Somewhat agree 42 27 47 50 42 50 29
Somewhat disagree 29 42 32 25 31 13 12
Strongly disagree 9 21 9 5 5 3 3
Strongly agree 11 5 7 9 8 24 42
Somewhat agree 39 24 35 49 40 49 44
Somewhat disagree 37 42 45 34 41 22 12
Strongly disagree 13 28 13 9 11 5 2
Strongly agree 18 12 10 13 17 36 57
Somewhat agree 45 37 47 54 50 43 29
Somewhat disagree 32 44 38 28 29 18 12
Strongly disagree 5 7 5 4 4 3 2
Strongly agree 10 6 4 7 11 21 41
Somewhat agree 39 25 37 41 52 50 46
Somewhat disagree 42 44 52 47 34 24 12
Strongly disagree 9 25 7 5 3 5 1
Strongly agree 22 9 14 22 12 47 68
Somewhat agree 39 33 46 42 36 39 20
Somewhat disagree 27 35 29 26 38 9 7
Strongly disagree 12 23 10 10 15 4 5
2.6 2.3 2.5 2.7 2.6 3.1 3.4
If the government spent less time
trying to fix everyone's problems,
we'd all be a lot better off.
Our government tries to do too
many things for too many people.
We should just let people take
care of themselves.
The government interferes too
much in our everyday lives.
Government regulation of
business usually does more harm
than good.
People should be allowed to make
as much money as they can, even
if it means some make millions
while others live in poverty.
Average on these four measures 1
n=2,129
1 Average computed on a scale where: 1=strongly disagree; 2=somewhat disagree; 3=somewhat agree; 4=strongly agree.
Table 21|Values, Traits
and Attitudes: Individualism
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 117
Strongly agree 19 38 20 11 7 13 12
Somewhat agree 28 29 33 29 28 18 11
Somewhat disagree 18 12 20 25 20 16 13
Strongly disagree 35 21 28 35 45 52 64
Strongly agree 20 17 18 18 27 21 25
Somewhat agree 26 17 23 31 35 31 24
Somewhat disagree 29 23 31 29 30 32 32
Strongly disagree 25 43 28 21 8 16 19
Strongly agree 28 17 26 23 35 36 47
Somewhat agree 26 13 27 36 36 26 15
Somewhat disagree 19 20 19 19 19 17 14
Strongly disagree 27 49 27 22 10 21 24
Strongly disagree 1 29 44 29 24 14 25 34
Somewhat disagree 51 41 53 55 54 57 47
Somewhat agree 16 11 14 19 28 13 17
Strongly agree 4 5 3 2 4 5 2
Human beings, as we know
them today, evolved from
earlier species of animals.
One must believe in God
in order to be moral and
have good values.
Just as the Bible says,
the world literally was
created in six days.
Overall, modern science
does more harm than good.
n=2,129
1 Reversed coding
Table 21|Values, Traits and
Attitudes: Science and Religion
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
Strongly agree 6 5 6 6 5 9 10
Somewhat agree 56 58 57 56 46 62 55
Somewhat disagree 28 25 31 27 33 24 26
Strongly disagree 9 12 6 10 15 5 10
Strongly disagree 1 5 7 4 7 3 5 6
Somewhat disagree 35 40 34 31 26 43 40
Somewhat agree 45 43 48 44 48 41 46
Strongly agree 15 11 15 18 22 11 7
Strongly agree 12 14 11 8 9 20 13
Somewhat agree 53 50 53 57 48 50 59
Somewhat disagree 27 27 29 25 28 24 25
Strongly disagree 9 9 8 10 16 6 3
Generally speaking, most
people can be trusted.
People will cheat you if they
get the chance.
I trust the people in my
neighborhood a lot.
n=2,129
1 Reversed coding
Table 21|Values, Traits and
Attitudes: Social Capital
118 global warming’s six americas 2009
Strongly agree 4 2 5 3 5 4 0
Somewhat agree 30 26 31 33 31 25 27
Somewhat disagree 40 37 41 40 39 45 36
Strongly disagree 27 35 23 23 26 27 37
Strongly agree 4 2 5 4 10 2 2
Somewhat agree 24 21 24 32 25 19 14
Somewhat disagree 44 41 46 44 42 50 41
Strongly disagree 28 36 25 21 23 29 44
Strongly agree 2 2 2 2 2 1 1
Somewhat agree 18 15 20 22 19 13 14
Somewhat disagree 40 39 41 44 44 37 30
Strongly disagree 39 44 36 32 35 49 54
Strongly agree 2 1 2 1 2 3 1
Somewhat agree 14 13 13 16 14 14 9
Somewhat disagree 43 32 47 48 45 38 36
Strongly disagree 42 54 38 35 39 45 53
Strongly agree 7 12 6 5 4 7 5
Somewhat agree 40 45 38 37 46 40 40
Somewhat disagree 41 36 40 45 39 41 50
Strongly disagree 12 7 15 13 11 12 5
You can tell if people are
successful by the things
they own and the way
they dress.
It's very important to me to
have a home as well-equipped
and furnished as that of other
people I know.
I follow the latest trends
and fashions.
I prefer brands and products
that make me feel accepted
by others.
I would rather make something
than buy it.
n=2,129
Table 21|Values, Traits and
Attitudes: Consumption
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
Strongly agree 7 14 8 3 7 6 2
Somewhat agree 26 39 27 21 30 16 11
Somewhat disagree 42 30 49 51 45 35 28
Strongly disagree 24 17 16 24 19 43 60
Strongly agree 14 8 11 15 17 22 20
Somewhat agree 34 20 33 42 36 40 46
Somewhat disagree 35 36 39 33 30 30 26
Strongly disagree 17 36 16 10 18 7 9
Strongly agree 14 24 13 10 15 10 10
Somewhat agree 58 57 62 55 53 59 61
Somewhat disagree 24 17 22 30 27 27 26
Strongly disagree 3 2 3 4 5 4 2
Strongly agree 8 10 7 9 7 9 5
Somewhat agree 37 36 39 37 37 33 32
Somewhat disagree 44 44 44 45 39 47 48
Strongly disagree 11 11 10 10 18 11 15
I feel that I am more of
a citizen of the world
than a citizen of a country.
We should always be willing
to fight for our country,
whether our country is
right or wrong.
I like doing things that
are new and different.
I like a lot of excitement
in my life.
n=2,129
Table 21|Values, Traits and
Attitudes: Other Attitudes and Traits
an audience segmentation analysis 119
Strongly agree 8 24 5 5 2 2 5
Somewhat agree 49 63 63 42 35 27 29
Somewhat disagree 32 10 27 42 49 52 24
Strongly disagree 11 2 6 12 14 19 42
Economic growth 1 45 12 34 52 60 75 90
Environmental protection 2 55 88 66 48 40 25 10
Plants 4.8 6.4 5.4 4.6 4.6 3.0 1.6
Marine life 4.8 6.5 5.5 4.5 4.5 3.1 1.6
Animals 4.8 6.4 5.5 4.5 4.6 3.2 1.6
Birds 4.7 6.3 5.3 4.4 4.5 3.1 1.6
All people 4.8 6.3 5.4 4.6 4.7 3.0 1.6
All children 5.0 6.5 5.7 4.8 5.0 3.2 1.7
Your children 4.8 5.9 5.5 4.8 4.8 3.0 1.6
People in the U.S. 4.7 6.1 5.2 4.5 4.7 2.9 1.6
You 4.5 5.9 5.1 4.4 4.7 2.7 1.6
Your health 4.7 6.0 5.2 4.5 4.9 2.9 1.6
Your lifestyle 4.0 5.0 4.5 3.9 4.2 2.5 1.5
Your future 4.6 5.9 5.2 4.4 4.8 2.8 1.6
I consider myself an
environmentalist.
Which do you think is more
important?
How concerned are you about the impact of global warming on … [Data reported in scale averages, see footnote 3]
Concern for Other Species
Concern for Humans
Concern for Oneself
n=2,129
1 Item wording: Economic growth, even if it leads to environmental problems
2 Item wording: Protecting the environment, even if it costs jobs or economic growth
3 Item responses were randomized. Cell entries are averages on a 7-point scale where 1=not at all concerned
and 7=extremely concerned.
Table 22|Environmental
Beliefs and Concerns
Table 22|Environmental Beliefs and Concerns:
Concern for Other Species, Humans, and Oneself
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
120 global warming’s six americas 2009
More than once a week 12 9 7 10 15 19 27
Once a week 23 19 23 24 24 25 30
Once or twice a month 9 9 9 7 11 5 10
A few times a year 18 23 20 19 14 18 8
Once a year or less 16 16 19 18 13 12 12
Never 22 24 23 23 22 20 14
Baptist 1 18 9 16 19 26 24 22
Protestant 2 21 17 21 21 20 26 26
Catholic 22 26 23 21 21 19 10
Mormon 3 1 1 5 2 4 5
Jewish 2 3 2 3 2 1 1
Muslim 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Hindu 1 1 1 1 1 0 0
Buddhist 1 3 1 1 0 0 0
Pentecostal 4 3 4 4 5 4 7
Eastern Orthodox 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Other Christian 12 10 13 11 10 12 18
Other – non-Christian 3 3 7 3 2 0 1 1
None 14 19 14 13 11 9 12
How often do you attend
religious services?
What is your religion?
Yes 27 16 21 26 37 39 55
No 62 76 69 59 46 52 44
Don’t know 11 8 10 15 17 9 1
Would you describe yourself
as “born-again” or evangelical?
n=2,129
1 Item wording: Baptist – any denomination
2 Item wording: Protestant (e.g., Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal)
3 Item wording: Other – non-Christian (Please specify)
Table 23|Religion
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
Male 48 39 48 53 38 59 63
Female 52 61 52 47 62 41 37
18-24 10 10 10 13 10 7 11
25-34 18 12 21 22 17 17 20
35-44 19 20 19 20 19 18 18
45-54 18 21 20 12 18 19 21
55-64 18 26 15 16 16 19 16
65-74 11 8 11 12 13 11 10
75+ 5 3 5 6 7 8 4
Less than high school 13 9 15 12 19 12 8
High school 32 24 29 37 49 28 24
Some college 28 28 28 28 22 26 33
Bachelor’s degree 1 28 38 29 22 10 33 35
Up to $24.9K 21 25 20 16 37 19 10
$25K to $39.9K 18 14 19 21 18 15 17
$40K to $59.9K 21 19 17 29 24 16 21
$60K to $84.9K 17 15 21 14 11 23 20
$85K or more 23 28 23 19 10 27 32
Gender
A
ge
Education
Income
n=2,129
1 Item wording: Bachelor’s degree or higher
Table 24|Demographics
an audience segmentation analysis 121
Paid employee 52 50 55 52 44 52 51
Self-employed 6 10 5 4 6 9 10
On temporary layoff 1 2 0 1 2 0 0
Looking for work 5 4 6 9 4 4 3
Not working - retired 16 10 16 18 23 17 15
Not working - disabled 10 12 10 9 17 7 4
Not working - other 10 11 9 8 5 12 16
White, non-Hispanic 69 66 66 71 55 89 87
Black, non-Hispanic 11 11 12 8 26 5 1
Other, non-Hispanic 5 6 7 6 3 3 5
Hispanic 13 15 15 14 17 2 7
2+ races, non-Hispanic 1 2 1 1 0 1 1
Married 49 41 47 52 41 57 66
Widowed 5 4 4 5 8 8 3
Divorced 12 16 14 9 13 12 6
Separated 3 4 2 2 9 0 2
Never married 25 23 25 28 27 19 20
Living with partner 6 11 8 4 3 3 3
Owned / being bought 74 73 73 79 56 84 85
Rented for cash 24 26 25 20 40 15 13
Occupied without pay 2 1 2 1 3 1 2
Current employment status 1
Ethnicity
Marital status
Ownership status of
living quarters 2
n=2,129
1 Item response wording: Working - as a paid employee; Working - self-employed; Not working - on temporary layoff from a job;
Not working - looking for work; Not working - retired; Not working - disabled; Not working - other
2 Item response wording: Owned or being bought by you or someone in your household; Rented for cash; Occupied without
payment of cash rent
Table 24|Demographics, continued
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
122 global warming’s six americas 2009
One-family detached 70 68 70 70 57 79 80
Duplex or townhouse 7 7 9 7 5 7 5
Apartment 18 22 16 17 30 10 10
A mobile home 5 4 5 6 7 4 3
Boat, RV, van, etc. 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Yes 77 78 75 76 75 78 89
[average] 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.8
Yes 24 23 26 23 23 25 24
Rural 16 13 15 19 17 18 19
Urban 84 87 85 81 83 82 81
New England 4 6 5 4 2 5 3
Mid-Atlantic 14 16 15 15 15 8 7
East-North Central 15 9 16 14 17 19 17
West-North Central 7 5 8 8 6 7 8
South Atlantic 20 21 17 19 21 19 26
East-South Central 7 4 6 4 11 14 8
West-South Central 10 12 10 11 9 10 7
Mountain 8 5 7 11 8 4 14
Pacific 15 22 16 14 11 13 10
Housing type 1
Household head
Number of household residents
Children under 18 years in residence
Rural/urban residence
Region based on state of residence
n=2,129
1 Item response wording: A one-family house detached from any other house; A one-family house attached to one or more
houses; A building with 2 or more apartments; A mobile home; Boat, RV, van, etc.
Table 24|Demographics, continued
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 123
A lot 12 48 10 0 2 1 5
Some 30 46 44 19 12 8 9
A little 40 6 42 64 49 47 26
None 18 0 4 17 37 43 59
A lot 18 50 15 8 6 10 9
Some 39 44 50 33 23 29 31
A little 34 6 31 49 46 41 41
None 9 0 4 9 24 20 19
A lot 2 7 1 0 0 0 1
Some 13 31 14 5 7 3 3
A little 23 30 35 16 12 9 5
None 63 32 50 79 81 88 91
A lot 5 12 5 2 4 2 1
Some 18 34 19 11 9 11 11
A little 30 32 37 29 24 21 19
None 48 22 39 59 63 65 68
How much attention do you pay
to information about global
warming?
How much attention do you pay
to information about conserving
energy?
In the past 30 days, how much
have you actively looked for
information about global
warming?
In the past 30 days, how much
have you actively looked for
information about conserving
energy?
n=2,129
Table 25|Information
Seeking and Attention
I do not need
any more information 18 30 7 6 7 30 73
I need a little
more information 22 30 26 17 11 23 14
I need some
more information 30 24 42 38 18 13 8
I need a lot
more information 30 16 25 39 64 34 5
On some issues people feel that
they have all the information they
need in order to form a firm
opinion, while on other issues
they would like more information
before making up their mind.
For global warming, where
would you place yourself?
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
124 global warming’s six americas 2009
Strongly trust 29 61 36 17 12 5 8
Somewhat trust 54 35 57 63 63 56 44
Somewhat distrust 14 2 7 18 17 31 32
Strongly distrust 4 1 1 2 9 8 16
Strongly trust 17 46 18 9 9 1 0
Somewhat trust 49 49 66 48 56 21 4
Somewhat distrust 20 3 13 33 28 37 20
Strongly distrust 14 1 3 10 7 41 76
Strongly trust 15 46 14 6 5 1 1
Somewhat trust 43 46 61 40 45 12 1
Somewhat distrust 20 6 17 28 35 30 9
Strongly distrust 22 3 7 26 15 57 89
Strongly trust 13 18 11 12 12 9 14
Somewhat trust 64 69 70 59 62 54 53
Somewhat distrust 19 13 16 24 19 29 19
Strongly distrust 4 0 2 5 7 8 14
Strongly trust 13 34 14 7 10 0 0
Somewhat trust 38 43 50 30 47 13 3
Somewhat distrust 23 15 20 33 25 31 13
Strongly distrust 26 9 15 31 17 55 84
Strongly trust 6 13 6 2 4 1 1
Somewhat trust 60 66 70 64 66 36 16
Somewhat distrust 24 16 21 27 24 42 31
Strongly distrust 10 4 3 7 7 21 52
Strongly trust 5 4 5 6 7 6 6
Somewhat trust 42 37 46 40 54 36 38
Somewhat distrust 30 29 27 38 31 32 22
Strongly distrust 22 31 22 17 8 25 34
Strongly trust 4 5 6 2 2 0 0
Somewhat trust 43 56 55 38 51 15 3
Somewhat distrust 33 33 30 41 35 38 13
Strongly distrust 20 7 10 19 12 46 84
Strongly trust 4 2 3 6 3 8 6
Somewhat trust 34 22 37 42 38 28 30
Somewhat distrust 37 38 36 33 40 45 31
Strongly distrust 25 38 24 19 19 19 34
Strongly trust 1 1 1 1 0 1 1
Somewhat trust 18 14 19 15 34 12 13
Somewhat distrust 49 37 51 57 49 55 35
Strongly distrust 33 48 29 26 17 32 52
Scientists
Environmental organizations
Al Gore 1
Family and friends
Barack Obama
Television weather reporters
Religious leaders
The mainstream news media
John McCain
Corporations
n=2,129
1 This item was asked separately. Item wording: How much do you trust or distrust Al Gore as a source of information
about global warming?
Table 26|Trust in Information Sources
How much do you trust or distrust the following as a source of information about global warming?
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 125
3.6 3.7 3.7 3.4 3.6 3.9 3.1
3.7 4.2 3.9 3.3 2.4 3.6 4.5
8.9 9.5 6.9 10.7 9.1 8.6 12.2
8.8 9.3 9.2 8.4 8.0 6.9 10.8
1.6 1.4 1.8 1.7 1.2 1.3 1.8
1.4 1.7 1.2 1.6 0.8 1.5 1.5
17.0 17.6 17.1 17.4 18.3 16.5 12.2
9.0 8.4 9.3 9.3 10.1 8.5 6.8
How many days per week do you read a printed newspaper?
How many days per week do you typically read news online? 1
How many hours do you listen to the radio each week? 2
… during a typical week? (Add up Monday through Friday)
… during a typical weekend? (Add up Saturday and Sunday)
What is the total number of hours of broadcast
and cable television you watch …
n=2,129
1 Item wording: How many days per week do you typically read news stories online?
2 Item wording: In a typical week, approximately how many hours total do you spend listening to the radio? Type the number
of hours in the space provided below. (If you didn’t listen to the radio in the past week, type in “0.”)
3 Item wording: In a typical week, how many hours do you spend using the Internet for personal reasons (not for work)?
Write in the number of hours in the space provided below. (If you didn’t use the Internet in the past week, type “0.”)
4 Item wording: In a typical week, how many hours total do you spend playing video games?
(If you didn’t play any video games, type in “0.")
5 Item wording: How many magazines do you subscribe to? (If you don’t subscribe to any magazines, type in “0”.)
Table 27|Frequency of Media Use
How many hours do you use the Internet each week? 3
How many hours do you play video games each week? 4
How many magazines do you subscribe to? 5
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
126 global warming’s six americas 2009
Television 59 58 63 58 71 53 37
Internet 1 22 23 22 23 9 22 37
Print newspapers 10 8 10 10 13 12 5
Radio 8 9 5 9 7 11 21
Magazines 1 1 0 0 0 2 0
Internet 49 59 49 49 28 51 62
Television 24 15 26 24 42 20 17
Print newspapers 17 13 17 20 22 19 12
Magazines 8 12 8 6 4 7 9
Radio 1 0 1 1 4 2 1
75 73 80 72 77 75 59
25 27 20 28 23 25 41
Keeping up with current news
and world events
Finding out about products you
are planning to buy
Thinking about the different kinds of political news available to you, what do you prefer?
News sources without a particular political point of view 2
News sources that share your political point of view 3
n=2,129
1 Item wording: Internet (excluding email)
2 Item wording: Getting news from sources that don’t have a particular political point of view
3 Item wording: Getting news from sources that share your political point of view
Table 28|Attention to Media:
Primary Sources
Table 28|Attention to Media:
Biased/Objective News Preference
Which of the following media sources do you turn to most often for each of the following?
What do you find gives you the best understanding of major news events?
Seeing pictures and video showing what happened
Reading or hearing the facts about what happened
Table 28|Attention to Media:
Channel Preference
53 50 53 58 57 54 41
47 50 47 42 43 46 59
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 127
Very closely 30 40 33 25 25 26 25
Somewhat closely 40 33 45 42 35 40 42
A little 21 23 18 23 25 23 24
Not at all 8 4 5 11 15 11 9
Very closely 21 37 18 12 8 21 40
Somewhat closely 32 36 34 27 24 31 36
A little 33 22 38 41 38 30 19
Not at all 14 5 10 20 31 18 5
Very closely 13 11 13 15 12 17 13
Somewhat closely 20 15 23 20 19 22 25
A little 33 38 35 33 30 23 38
Not at all 33 36 30 32 40 38 25
Very closely 12 26 11 7 7 6 16
Somewhat closely 35 44 38 26 17 32 48
A little 40 26 43 48 46 40 28
Not at all 13 4 8 19 30 22 8
Very closely 10 15 13 5 9 5 9
Somewhat closely 33 41 35 31 23 28 26
A little 45 37 45 47 48 47 48
Not at all 12 7 7 17 19 19 16
The local weather forecast
National politics
Sports
World affairs
Health
n=2,129
Table 28|Attention to Media:
News Topics
How closely do you follow news about each of the following?
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
128 global warming’s six americas 2009
Very closely 10 13 11 7 4 8 15
Somewhat closely 26 33 28 19 13 27 38
A little 42 44 43 46 38 39 31
Not at all 22 10 18 28 44 27 16
Very closely 8 16 6 4 4 6 12
Somewhat closely 28 38 25 26 16 29 40
A little 45 35 52 46 47 40 35
Not at all 20 10 17 24 34 25 13
Very closely 7 15 6 4 4 7 11
Somewhat closely 24 32 22 20 22 27 27
A little 44 39 50 47 37 39 46
Not at all 24 14 22 29 37 27 16
Very closely 6 10 6 4 6 6 5
Somewhat closely 28 32 30 25 23 22 29
A little 50 47 52 51 48 49 49
Not at all 16 11 13 20 23 23 17
Very closely 7 24 4 1 4 2 3
Somewhat closely 28 50 35 13 17 12 16
A little 49 23 55 63 48 53 47
Not at all 17 3 7 23 31 32 34
Very closely 7 17 5 4 3 6 9
Somewhat closely 25 37 29 18 13 21 28
A little 46 39 53 48 38 44 45
Not at all 21 7 13 30 47 28 18
Business and financial issues
State politics
Local politics
People and events
in your community
The environment
Science and technology
Table 28|Attention to Media:
News Topics, continued
n=2,129
How closely do you follow news about each of the following?
Very closely 3 3 4 3 3 1 3
Somewhat closely 10 16 11 11 7 6 5
A little 47 50 52 44 51 37 27
Not at all 40 32 33 43 38 56 65
Very closely 2 1 2 4 3 0 0
Somewhat closely 8 11 10 6 7 4 6
A little 34 37 38 31 34 24 26
Not at all 56 51 51 59 56 72 68
Celebrities
Fashion and style trends
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 129
Table 28|Attention to Media:
Specific Programs and Genres
n=2,129
Often 44 48 48 42 42 39 26
Sometimes 31 24 29 32 36 39 38
Hardly ever 15 16 14 15 14 12 15
Never 11 12 8 11 8 10 21
Often 26 37 30 20 25 15 10
Sometimes 29 26 31 30 35 31 16
Hardly ever 23 19 23 27 17 29 23
Never 22 19 16 23 23 24 51
Often 21 28 22 22 16 11 14
Sometimes 32 27 33 29 31 41 34
Hardly ever 19 23 19 18 17 19 17
Never 28 22 26 31 36 29 35
Local TV news
The national nightly network
news on CBS, ABC or NBC
Prime-time dramas
How often do you watch or listen to the following shows or visit their websites?
Often 17 19 19 18 15 16 10
Sometimes 30 29 31 29 31 27 34
Hardly ever 26 24 27 25 27 25 22
Never 27 28 22 28 27 31 34
Often 17 11 15 14 17 23 40
Sometimes 25 17 25 28 28 30 22
Hardly ever 21 20 25 24 19 13 17
Never 37 51 36 34 36 34 21
Often 15 16 17 15 12 16 6
Sometimes 34 36 35 36 33 30 32
Hardly ever 23 26 24 19 22 24 22
Never 28 22 24 30 33 30 39
Often 15 24 22 9 11 4 3
Sometimes 23 27 22 24 23 24 16
Hardly ever 27 20 29 27 29 34 27
Never 34 28 27 41 37 38 54
Often 11 16 16 7 10 3 5
Sometimes 20 31 19 20 21 14 8
Hardly ever 27 20 31 28 25 28 21
Never 42 33 34 45 44 55 66
Often 10 16 10 7 9 6 10
Sometimes 29 26 31 31 35 23 25
Hardly ever 24 25 26 23 22 26 17
Never 37 33 33 39 35 45 49
The Weather Channel
The Fox News
CABLE Channel
Sitcoms
CNN
MSNBC
Cooking shows
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
130 global warming’s six americas 2009
Table 28|Attention to Media: Specific
Programs and Genres, continued
n=2,129
Often 9 13 11 9 9 4 3
Sometimes 27 25 30 25 28 27 26
Hardly ever 22 25 22 24 20 22 18
Never 41 37 38 42 44 47 53
Often 9 11 8 9 6 8 9
Sometimes 25 29 29 21 20 21 24
Hardly ever 23 28 22 20 20 31 22
Never 43 33 41 50 54 39 44
Often 9 22 9 6 4 4 3
Sometimes 15 19 14 14 12 12 17
Hardly ever 23 24 25 19 25 22 17
Never 53 34 52 62 59 62 64
Often 8 12 6 8 7 7 6
Sometimes 29 33 33 25 20 25 38
Hardly ever 26 26 24 27 25 33 17
Never 37 29 37 40 48 35 39
Often 8 15 9 5 4 2 8
Sometimes 17 23 18 14 20 15 9
Hardly ever 18 20 17 17 17 20 16
Never 57 43 56 63 60 64 67
Often 8 8 10 7 11 7 5
Sometimes 6 8 7 5 9 2 2
Hardly ever 8 8 10 7 9 8 4
Never 77 76 74 80 71 83 89
Medical dramas
Home and garden shows
National Public Radio (NPR)
Do-it-yourself programs,
such as “This Old House”
Sunday morning news shows,
such as “Meet the Press”
Soap operas
How often do you watch or listen to the following shows or visit their websites?
Often 7 6 10 5 7 3 7
Sometimes 19 29 19 19 20 15 7
Hardly ever 29 26 33 27 28 28 26
Never 44 39 38 49 46 54 60
Often 7 8 7 7 7 2 1
Sometimes 17 19 19 14 27 9 3
Hardly ever 21 27 21 22 13 18 13
Never 56 46 52 56 53 71 82
Often 7 2 5 5 7 11 30
Sometimes 11 12 9 10 10 18 19
Hardly ever 15 15 15 16 9 16 17
Never 67 71 71 69 75 56 33
CNBC
Daytime talk shows,
such as “Oprah”
The O’Reilly Factor
with Bill O’Reilly
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
an audience segmentation analysis 131
Table 28|Attention to Media: Specific
Programs and Genres, continued
n=2,129
Often 5 7 5 5 5 4 3
Sometimes 22 31 24 15 19 20 12
Hardly ever 27 30 26 28 19 32 21
Never 46 31 45 52 57 45 63
Often 5 9 5 5 4 4 1
Sometimes 14 15 14 13 10 12 19
Hardly ever 21 27 23 18 12 21 28
Never 60 49 58 64 75 63 52
Often 5 12 5 3 2 2 0
Sometimes 11 16 13 7 10 6 8
Hardly ever 14 16 16 14 5 16 16
Never 69 55 65 76 82 76 77
Often 5 2 3 4 5 10 23
Sometimes 9 6 7 10 6 15 18
Hardly ever 10 8 9 9 7 16 15
Never 76 84 82 77 82 59 44
Often 4 7 3 2 4 4 5
Sometimes 23 27 27 20 13 19 25
Hardly ever 27 33 28 22 24 30 22
Never 46 33 43 56 58 48 48
Often 4 9 6 1 2 2 0
Sometimes 10 15 10 9 8 8 9
Hardly ever 14 17 14 12 6 16 15
Never 72 58 70 77 84 74 76
Often 4 8 3 1 4 1 2
Sometimes 8 11 9 6 10 4 5
Hardly ever 12 14 16 10 12 9 4
Never 76 66 72 83 74 86 89
Often 4 1 1 1 1 8 29
Sometimes 8 4 4 9 9 16 18
Hardly ever 10 8 7 13 7 14 17
Never 79 87 88 77 83 63 36
Often 3 1 3 1 4 6 6
Sometimes 9 9 8 7 15 10 14
Hardly ever 12 11 9 12 14 15 23
Never 75 80 79 80 68 69 57
Late night talk shows,
such as David Letterman
On-line video-sharing
services, such as YouTube
The Daily Show
with Jon Stewart
Hannity & Colmes
Travel programs
The Colbert Report
with Stephen Colbert
Countdown with
Keith Olbermann
Rush Limbaugh’s
radio show
Religious programs, such
as “Focus on the Family”
How often do you watch or listen to the following shows or visit their websites?
National Average
Alarmed (18%)
Concerned (33%)
Cautious (19%)
Disengaged (12%)
Doubtful (11%)
Dismissive (7%)
132 global warming’s six americas 2009
In September and October of 2008, a nationally representative survey of 2,164 American adults
was conducted using the nationally representative online panel operated by Knowledge Net-
works. Respondents completed two separate questionnaires, two weeks apart. The within-panel
completion rate was 54 percent.
Survey questions covered a range of topics related to global warming and energy, including:
• Issue priorities
• Policy preferences
• Reasons for and against action
• Political and consumer activism
• Beliefs
• Risk perceptions
• Desire for more information
• Achievability of emission reductions
• Trust in different messengers.
The exact wording of all survey questions used in this report is presented at our websites:
http://climatechange.gmu.edu and http://research.yale.edu/environment/climate/.
To identify the audience segments, 36 variables representing four distinct construct categories
were selected – global warming beliefs, issue involvement, policy preferences, and behaviors –
and subjected to Latent Class Analysis using LatentGold 4.5 software. To ensure the validity and
stability of the findings, the analyses were conducted using 5,000 random sets of start values and
each solution was replicated to ensure model stability. Four, five, six and seven segment solutions
were constructed. The six segment solution provided the best fit and highest face validity.
appendix ii: methodology
This report was printed on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper.
