Drawing on a nationally representative survey (n = 1,037), this report describes Americans’ actions to limit and prepare for global warming. The survey was fielded from March 18 – 29, 2021. This report builds on three previous reports based on data from this same survey that focused on public support for U.S. domestic climate policy, public support for international climate action, and Americans’ beliefs and attitudes about global warming. Among the key findings of this report:
Actions to Limit Global Warming
- About half of Americans (52%) say they have deliberately purchased an energy-efficient kitchen appliance. Additionally, three in ten or more say they have deliberately bought an energy-efficient water heater (39%), an energy-efficient home air conditioner (38%) or a car that averages 30 miles per gallon or more (37%). Fewer say they have deliberately bought services from businesses that are explicitly eco-friendly (18%) or electricity generated from renewable energy sources (12%).
- A majority of Americans (62%) say they set their thermostats to 68 degrees or cooler in the winter at least some of the time. Additionally, most (54%) say they set their thermostats to 76 degrees or warmer in the summer or use less air conditioning at least some of the time.
- The vast majority of Americans (89%) say they use energy-efficient lightbulbs (CFLs or LEDs) in their homes, including about seven in ten (71%) who say “all” or “most” of their lightbulbs are energy efficient.
- About six in ten Americans (63%) say they make efforts to eat less red meat (beef, lamb, pork). One in three (33%) say they avoid creating food waste, and about one in four (26%) say they compost food waste.
- About three in ten Americans (31%) say they have rewarded companies that are taking steps to reduce global warming by buying their products in the past 12 months, and about two in ten (22%) say they have punished companies that are opposing steps to reduce global warming by not buying their products.
- About half of Americans (52%) say they would sign a petition about global warming. About three in ten or more say they would donate money (33%) or volunteer time (31%) to an organization working on global warming. However, in the past year only 15 percent of Americans say they actually have signed a petition about global warming at least once, 13% have donated money to an organization working on global warming at least once, and 6% have volunteered their time to an organization working on global warming at least once.
- More than one in four Americans (28%) say they would write or phone government officials about global warming; fewer (8%), however, say they have done so at least once in the past 12 months.
- About three in ten Americans (29%) say they are “definitely” or “probably” willing to join a campaign to convince elected officials to take action to reduce global warming, and more than three in ten Americans (35%) say they “definitely” or “probably” would participate in such a campaign specifically to convince local elected officials. However, only one percent of Americans say they are currently participating in either type of campaign.
Actions to Prepare for Global Warming
- More than half (55%) of Americans say that they have thought “a great deal” or “some” about preparing for a natural disaster.
- Four in ten Americans (40%) say they have an emergency supply kit in their home, and about one in four (28%) say they have a disaster emergency plan that all members of their family know about.
- More than four in ten Americans (44%) said they “definitely” or “probably” would join a group to help their local community prepare for and respond to natural disasters, such as a community emergency response team or the Red Cross. Few Americans (2%), however, are currently participating in such a group.
- In contrast, only about three in ten Americans (29%) said they “definitely” or “probably” would join a local campaign to convince state and local government officials to take action to prepare their community for the impacts of global warming. Only one percent said they are currently participating in such a campaign.