Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

Report Summary

Highlights:

• Most Coloradans (70%) believe global warming is happening. Relatively few—only 19%— believe it is not.

• Nearly half (48%) believe global warming is caused mostly by human activities.

• Coloradans think global warming is important and are worried about it. Three in four (73%) say the issue of global warming is very or somewhat important to them personally. And six in ten (59%) are at least somewhat worried about it.

• Among those who believe global warming is happening, 70% believe it is currently contributing to increased droughts and decreased snowpack, and 66% believe it is exacerbating wildfires.

• About half of Coloradans (48%) say they have personally experienced global warming’s effects.

• More than half of Coloradans say that more should be done about global warming at all levels of government—from President Obama and Congress, to Governor Hickenlooper and the state legislature, to local government officials. However, even larger numbers of Coloradans believe that corporations and industry (67%) and citizens themselves (66%) should be doing more to address climate change.

• Half of Coloradans (52%) say that switching from fossil fuels to clean energy sources would increase economic growth and the number of jobs.