Climate change

Changing Climate: What does America think of global warming?

The Yale School of the Environment has published national, state and county-level maps of the public opinion on various climate topics.

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The Yale Climate Opinion Maps have been released from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communications. The goal is to study how people around the world are responding to the issue of climate change, mostly focusing on the U.S.

The Yale Climate Opinion Maps have been released from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communications, within the Yale School of the Environment.

The goal is to study how people around the world are responding to the issue of climate change, mostly focusing on the United States.

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“We study how people around the world are responding to the issue of climate change," Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz with the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication said.

"So what do they understand and misunderstand about the causes, consequences and solutions to climate change? How do they perceive the risks?” Leiserowitz said.

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Yale has been working on a project called Climate Change in the American Mind with George Mason University for nearly 20 years.

There are two surveys, one in the spring and the other in the fall. The newest maps show the public survey from December 2024. Here are some of the key findings.

  • 63% of Americans are at least somewhat concerned about climate change.
  • 70% of Connecticut residents surveyed said they are concerned about climate change.
  • 75% of CT residents believe global warming is happening, but 64% believe it is due to humans.
  • 44% of CT residents are worried climate change will impact them personally.
  • Estimated % of adults who think corporations should do more to address global warming: 72%.
  • Estimated % of adults who think citizens should do more to address global warming: 65%.
  • Estimated % of adults who think local officials should do more to address global warming: 57%.
  • 39% of CT residents discuss global warming, while 30% report they hear about it in the media.

Regarding the results, Dr. Jennifer Marlon, the Yale School of the Environment senior research scientist, suggests many people are already affected by global warming, even though only 44% of CT residents are worried climate change will impact them personally.

“And unfortunately, this is just not true, because we are already all being harmed by global warming, whether we know it or not, through more extreme heat, higher grocery bills, rising insurance costs, worsening air pollution, and so on, and so on," Marlon said.

If you'd like to explore the Yale Climate Opinion Maps for yourself, click or tap this sentence to go to the survey homepage.

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