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Climate Change in the American Mind: Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs and Attitudes in June 2010

Authors:
Anthony Leiserowitz at Yale University
Anthony Leiserowitz
Edward W Maibach at George Mason University
Edward W Maibach
Connie Roser-Renouf at George Mason University
Connie Roser-Renouf
Nicholas Smith at University College London
Nicholas Smith
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Abstract

Interviews: 1,024 Adults (18+) Margin of error: +/-3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. NOTE: All results show percentages among all respondents, unless otherwise labeled. Totals may occasionally sum to more than 100 percent due to rounding.
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Climate Change in the American Mind:
Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs and Attitudes in
June 2010
Interview dates: May 14, 2010 – June 1, 2010
Interviews: 1,024 Adults (18+)
Margin of error: +/- 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
NOTE: All results show percentages among all respondents, unless otherwise labeled. Totals may
occasionally sum to more than 100 percent due to rounding.
This study was conducted by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George
Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, and was funded by the Surdna
Foundation, the Eleventh Hour Project, the Pacific Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation.
Principal Investigators:
Anthony Leiserowitz, PhD
Yale Project on Climate Change Communication
School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University
(203) 432-4865 anthony.leiserowitz@yale.edu
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
Nicholas Smith, PhD
Yale Project on Climate Change Communication
School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University
(203) 432-1208 nicholas.smith@yale.edu
Cite as: Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., & Smith, N. (2010) Climate change in the
American Mind: Americans’ global warming beliefs and attitudes in June 2010. Yale University and George
Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Project on Climate Change Communication.
http://environment.yale.edu/climate/files/ClimateBeliefsJune2010.pdf
Yale / George Mason University Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs & Attitudes: June 2010
2
(Questions 1-46 to be released at a later date.)
Q47. Recently, you may have noticed that global warming has been getting some attention in the
news. Global warming refers to the idea that the world’s average temperature has been
increasing over the past 150 years, may be increasing more in the future, and that the world’s
climate may change as a result. What do you think? Do you think that global warming is
happening?
June 2010
Jan 2010
Nov 2008
Yes
61
57
71
No
18
20
10
Don’t Know
21
23
19
People who answered yes to question 47 (i.e. those who believe global warming is happening) were asked the following
question.
Q48. How sure are you that global warming is happening?
June 2010
Jan 2010
Extremely sure
20
24
Very sure
37
35
Somewhat sure
40
37
Not at all sure
3
5
People who answered no to question 47 (i.e. those who do not believe global warming is happening) were asked the
following question.
Q49. How sure are you that global warming is not happening?
June 2010
Jan 2010
Extremely sure
20
28
Very sure
31
31
Somewhat sure
44
34
Not at all sure
4
7
Yale / George Mason University Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs & Attitudes: June 2010
3
Q50. Assuming global warming is happening, do you think it is…
June 2010
Jan 2010
Nov 2008
Caused mostly by human activities
50
47
57
Caused mostly by natural changes in the environment
34
36
32
None of the above because global warming isn’t happening
6
9
4
Caused by both human activities and natural changes
(volunteered)
7
6
5
Other
1
1
1
Don’t know (volunteered)
1
1
1
(Questions 51-58 to be released at a later date.)
Q59. Which comes closer to your own view?
June 2010
Jan 2010
Nov 2008
Most scientists think global warming is happening
34
34
47
Most scientists think global warming is not happening
4
5
3
There is a lot of disagreement among scientists about whether or
not global warming is happening
45
40
33
Don't know enough to say
17
22
18
Q60. How worried are you about global warming?
June 2010
Jan 2010
Very worried
12
12
Somewhat worried
41
38
Not very worried
30
27
Not at all worried
18
23
Q61. How concerned are you about the impact of global warming on your health? (Measured on a
scale from 1-7, with one being “not at all concerned” and seven being “extremely concerned”.
June 2010
Jan 2010
Seven (Extremely concerned)
8
7
Six
9
7
Five
14
14
Four
22
17
Three
9
12
Two
14
13
One (Not at all concerned)
25
29
Yale / George Mason University Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs & Attitudes: June 2010
4
Q62. How much do you think global warming will harm you personally?
June 2010
Jan 2010
A great deal
10
14
A moderate amount
21
23
Only a little
27
22
Not at all
24
31
Don’t know
18
11
Q63. How much do you think global warming will harm your family?
June 2010
Jan 2010
A great deal
11
15
A moderate amount
25
25
Only a little
24
21
Not at all
21
28
Don’t know
19
11
Q64. How much do you think global warming will harm people in your community?
June 2010
Jan 2010
A great deal
11
15
A moderate amount
25
27
Only a little
24
22
Not at all
21
24
Don’t know
19
12
Q65. How much do you think global warming will harm people in the United States?
June 2010
Jan 2010
A great deal
16
22
A moderate amount
28
29
Only a little
22
16
Not at all
17
22
Don’t know
18
12
Q66. How much do you think global warming will harm people in other modern industrialized
countries?
June 2010
Jan 2010
A great deal
17
23
A moderate amount
28
29
Only a little
21
16
Not at all
15
19
Don’t know
18
13
Yale / George Mason University Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs & Attitudes: June 2010
5
Q67. How much do you think global warming will harm people in developing countries?
June 2010
Jan 2010
A great deal
22
29
A moderate amount
28
25
Only a little
17
14
Not at all
15
19
Don’t know
18
13
Q68. How much do you think global warming will harm future generations of people?
June 2010
Jan 2010
A great deal
39
42
A moderate amount
22
22
Only a little
11
9
Not at all
12
15
Don’t know
16
12
Q69. How much do you think global warming will harm plant and animal species?
June 2010
Jan 2010
A great deal
40
43
A moderate amount
21
19
Only a little
12
11
Not at all
13
15
Don’t know
15
12
Q70. When do you think global warming will start to harm people in the United States?
June 2010
Jan 2010
They are being harmed now
29
25
In 10 years
12
12
In 25 years
12
14
In 50 years
13
13
In 100 years
15
13
Never
19
23
Yale / George Mason University Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs & Attitudes: June 2010
6
Q71. When do you think global warming will start to harm other people around the world?
June 2010
Jan 2010
They are being harmed now
32
28
In 10 years
11
13
In 25 years
13
12
In 50 years
12
12
In 100 years
13
13
Never
18
22
Q72. How much had you thought about global warming before today?
June 2010
Jan 2010
A lot
18
15
Some
37
31
A little
32
36
Not at all
13
18
Q73. How important is the issue of global warming to you personally?
June 2010
Jan 2010
Extremely important
6
5
Very important
18
15
Somewhat important
39
38
Not too important
24
23
Not at all important
14
20
Q74. 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?
June 2010
Jan 2010
I need a lot more information
20
22
I need some more information
27
23
I need a little more information
29
26
I do not need any more information
24
29
Yale / George Mason University Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs & Attitudes: June 2010
7
Q75. How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “I could easily change my
mind about global warming.”
June 2010
Jan 2010
Strongly agree
5
5
Somewhat agree
32
30
Somewhat disagree
36
31
Strongly disagree
27
34
(Questions 76-134 to be released at a later date.)
Q135. Which of the following statements comes closest to your view?
(Questions 137-160 to be released at a later date.)
Q161. How much do you trust or distrust the following as a source of information about global
warming?
Television weather reporters
June 2010
Jan 2010
Strongly trust
5
5
Somewhat trust
56
51
Somewhat distrust
28
30
Strongly distrust
11
14
The mainstream news media
June 2010
Jan 2010
Strongly trust
3
3
Somewhat trust
42
33
Somewhat distrust
34
35
Strongly distrust
22
29
June 2010
Jan 2010
Nov 2008
Humans can reduce global warming, and we are going to do
so successfully
5
10
6
Humans could reduce global warming, but it’s unclear at this point
whether we will do what’s needed
47
45
51
Humans could reduce global warming, but people aren’t willing to
change their behavior, so we’re not going to
21
17
22
Humans can’t reduce global warming, even if it is happening
18
15
16
Global warming isn’t happening
10
13
5
Yale / George Mason University Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs & Attitudes: June 2010
8
Scientists
June 2010
Jan 2010
Strongly trust
26
22
Somewhat trust
55
52
Somewhat distrust
15
19
Strongly distrust
4
7
Religious leaders
June 2010
Jan 2010
Strongly trust
4
6
Somewhat trust
38
39
Somewhat distrust
32
34
Strongly distrust
26
21
(Questions 162-234 to be released at a later date.)
Q235. The actions of a single individual won’t make any difference in global warming.
June 2010
Jan 2010
Strongly agree
13
17
Somewhat agree
29
29
Somewhat disagree
43
37
Strongly disagree
15
17
Q236. I have personally experienced the effects of global warming.
June 2010
Jan 2010
Strongly agree
5
5
Somewhat agree
25
21
Somewhat disagree
35
35
Strongly disagree
35
40
Q237. New technologies can solve global warming, without individuals having to make big changes
in their lives.
June 2010
Jan 2010
Strongly agree
6
6
Somewhat agree
33
42
Somewhat disagree
40
33
Strongly disagree
21
19
Yale / George Mason University Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs & Attitudes: June 2010
9
Q238. Most of my friends are trying to act in ways that reduce global warming.
June 2010
Jan 2010
Strongly agree
5
5
Somewhat agree
47
43
Somewhat disagree
36
37
Strongly disagree
12
14
Q238A. With the economy in such bad shape, the US can’t afford to reduce global warming.
June 2010
Jan 2010
Strongly agree
13
-
Somewhat agree
30
-
Somewhat disagree
42
-
Strongly disagree
15
-
Q238B. The record snowstorms this winter in the eastern United States make me question
whether global warming is occurring.
June 2010
Jan 2010
Strongly agree
17
-
Somewhat agree
35
-
Somewhat disagree
29
-
Strongly disagree
20
-
Methodology
These results come from nationally representative surveys of American adults, aged 18 and older.
The samples were weighted to correspond with US Census Bureau parameters for the United States.
The surveys were designed by Anthony Leiserowitz of Yale University and Edward Maibach and
Connie Roser-Renouf of George Mason University and conducted by Knowledge Networks, using
an online research panel of American adults.
• June 2010: Fielded May 14 through June 1 with 1,024 American adults. The margin of
sampling error is plus or minus 3 percent, with 95 percent confidence.
• January 2010: Fielded December 24, 2009 through January 3, 2010 with 1,001 American
adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percent, with 95 percent confidence.
• November 2008: Fielded October 7 through November 12 with 2,164 American adults.
Data was collected in two waves: wave 1 from October 7 through October 20 and wave 2
from October 24 through November 12. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2
percent, with 95 percent confidence.
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