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2. Perceived Risks of Global Warming

2.1. Many Americans say they have personally experienced the effects of global warming.

Many Americans (47%) agree with the statement “I have personally experienced the effects of global warming,” while 53% disagree.

 

2.2. About half of Americans think people in the U.S. are being harmed “right now” by global warming.

About half of Americans (49%) think people in the U.S. are being harmed by global warming “right now.”

 

2.3.  Many Americans think global warming will harm them, but more think others will be harmed.

A majority of Americans understand that global warming will cause harm. Americans are most likely to think plant and animal species (70%), future generations of people (68%) the world’s poor and people in developing countries (both 66%), and people in the U.S. (62%) will be harmed either “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” by global warming. Fewer think people in their community (50%), their family (48%), or they themselves (44%) will be harmed.

 

2.4. One in ten Americans have considered moving to avoid the impacts of global warming.

Research indicatesHauer, M. E. (2017). Migration induced by sea-level rise could reshape the US population landscape. Nature Climate Change, 7(5), 321-325. doi:10.1038/nclimate3271 that an increasing number of people in the United States may be considering moving away from areas particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. We find that 10% of Americans have considered moving to avoid the impacts of global warming, while 82% have not, and 8% are not sure.