Report · Jun 8, 2023
Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes, Spring 2023
By Anthony Leiserowitz, Edward Maibach, Seth Rosenthal, John Kotcher, Sanguk Lee, Marija Verner, Matthew Ballew, Jennifer Carman, Teresa Myers, Matthew Goldberg, Nicholas Badullovich and Jennifer Marlon
Filed under: Beliefs & Attitudes and Climate Impacts
6. Impacts of Global Warming
6.1. A majority of Americans think global warming is affecting weather in the United States.
About two-thirds of Americans (65%) think global warming is affecting weather in the United States, including a majority (58%) who think global warming is affecting U.S. weather either “a lot” (33%) or “some” (25%).
As noted above, 33% of Americans think global warming is affecting weather “a lot.” This is about the same level as in most of our surveys since October 2017.
6.2. Most Americans think global warming is affecting environmental problems in the United States.
Most Americans think global warming is affecting many environmental problems in the United States at least “a little.” This includes three in four who think global warming is affecting extreme heat (75%), and about seven in ten who think global warming is affecting rising sea levels (72%), wildfires (71%), and droughts (71%). Six in ten or more think global warming is affecting flooding (69%), water shortages (69%), hurricanes (68%), air pollution (67%), tornados (66%), reduced snow pack (62%), agricultural pests and diseases (61%), and water pollution (60%), and 58% think global warming is affecting electricity power outages.
6.3. A majority of Americans think extreme weather poses a risk to their community.
A majority of Americans (56%) think extreme weather poses either a “high” (18%) or “moderate” (38%) risk to their community over the next 10 years. Fewer think extreme weather poses either a “low” risk (32%) or “no” risk (6%).
6.4. A majority of Americans are worried about harm from environmental problems in their local area.
Section 6.2 of this report outlined the degree to which Americans think global warming is already affecting numerous environmental problems. This section details how worried Americans are that each of those environmental problems will harm their local area in the future. Majorities of Americans are at least “a little worried” their local area might be harmed by extreme heat (72%), water pollution (72%), air pollution (72%), electricity power outages (71%), droughts (68%), agricultural pests and diseases (61%), water shortages (60%), flooding (57%), tornados (56%), and wildfires (51%). Many Americans are also worried their local area might be harmed by rising sea levels (42%), hurricanes (41%), and reduced snow pack (36%).
