Instructions for coding Section 1.3: Health Harms of Global Warming
A team of two postdoctoral fellows and two doctoral students coded the open-ended responses using jointly developed instructions and categories. The two doctoral students coded the 2024 data, while the postdoctoral fellows re-coded the 2014 data. Differences between each pair of coders were resolved via pair discussion, and if a resolution could not be reached, discussion among the full team. Definitions of the categories used by the coders are listed below.
For the following variables, we code each survey response for the presence or absence (0=absent; present=1) of the following categories listed below. A survey response can be coded positive for multiple content variables.
No response — Applied if the participant left the question blank or said something similar to “No comment.”
Respiratory problems — This category represents any reference to any kind of respiratory health problems, such as lung diseases or breathing difficulties. It does not include lung cancer. Examples include: “Lung issue due to smoke” “asthma” “breathing issues”
Extreme heat — This category represents any reference to any health harms related to extreme heat. Examples include: “heat stroke” “heat exhaustion” “overheating more easily”
No health harms — This category represents any responses that claim that global warming causes no health harms. Examples include: “None” “None that I am personally aware of” “None that I can think of”
Pollution and contamination — This category represents any reference to health harms resulting from pollution or contamination of air, water, food, or soil. Examples include: “Air pollution” “poisoned water” “food poisoning”
Other extreme weather — This category represents any reference to health harms associated with extreme weather events other than extreme heat or extreme cold, such as storms and wildfires, or comments that mention extreme weather in general without specifying specific types. Examples include: “I mean extreme weather could cause physical health problems” “More natural disasters” “Fires, dust storms”
Don’t know — This category represents any comments that indicate that the participant does not know or is unsure about the health harms of global warming . Examples include: “not sure” “I’ve no idea” “don’t know”
Cancer (other than skin cancer) — This category represents any reference to any types of cancer, including lung cancer, as a health harm of global warming. Examples include: “some cancers” “lot of people getting cancer”
Heart and circulatory problems — This category represents any reference to any cardiac or circulatory health issues. Examples include: “heart diseases” “cardiovascular diseases” “heart problems”
Death — This category represents any reference to deaths resulting from global warming. Examples include: “I mean, extreme weather is killing people. So, death?” “threats to life itself” “more people are dying from heat”
Mental health impacts — This category represents any reference to mental health problems associated with global warming . Examples include: “increased stress” “mental health” “anxiety”
Vector-borne or infectious diseases — This category represents any reference to vector-borne or infectious diseases, such as diseases spread to humans via insects or by other humans. Examples include: “tick-borne illnesses” “pest-related diseases like Lyme disease and West Nile Virus” “Covid 19”
Allergies — This category represents any reference to allergies as a health harm of global warming. Examples include: “Allergies” “Pollen” “Increase allergens”
Skin cancer or other skin diseases — This category represents any reference to skin cancer or other skin diseases, as well as sunburn. Examples include: “skin cancer” “sunburn” “skin conditions”
Hunger, nutrition, or agricultural problems — This category represents any reference to health problems associated with limited access to sufficient food quality or quantity. Examples include: “poor health outcomes due to harms in food supply” “starvation” “food choices will also be more limited and expensive”
Changing seasons or weather — This category represents any reference to health impacts associated with changing seasons or long-term weather patterns, excluding references to extreme weather. Examples include: “changes in weather” “seasonal shifting” “rising temperature”
Drought — This category represents any reference to health impacts associated with drought. Examples include: “droughts in California” “droughts” “reduced snowfall”
Injuries — This category represents any reference to injuries resulting from global warming. Examples include: “Deaths or injuries from extreme weather events” “Injuries and deaths resulting from stronger storms” “extreme weather related injuries”
Extreme cold — This category represents any reference to health impacts associated with extreme cold. Examples include: “Does freezing to death count?” “Over exposure to heat or cold” “aching joints in extreme cold”
Instructions for coding Section 2.2: Groups most likely to experience health problems due to global warming
As with section 1.3, the same team of doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows coded the open-ended responses using jointly developed instructions and categories, with the doctoral students coding the 2024 data and the postdoctoral fellows coding the 2014 data, and differences being resolved through pair or group discussion. The “Not asked” classification was applied to respondents who did not answer “Yes” to the previous question, “Do you think that some groups or types of Americans are more likely than other Americans to experience health problems related to global warming?” Definitions of the other categories used by the coders are listed below.
For the following variables, we code each survey response for the presence or absence (0 = absent; 1 = present) of the following categories listed below. A survey response can be coded positive for multiple content variables.
Low-income people — This category represents any reference to people with lower wealth. Examples include: “The impoverished” “Underprivileged” “Less fortunate” “blue collar”
No response — Applied if the participant left the question blank or said something similar to “No comment.”
Older adults — This category represents any reference to older people. Examples include: “The old” “elderly” “older”
People with health conditions — This category represents any reference to people with health conditions of any kind, broadly defined to include disability and addiction. Examples include: “Those with already underlying issues” “Unhealthy obese” “smokers”
People of color and immigrants — This category includes people of all races and ethnicities other than white, as well as immigrants of unspecified race. Examples include: “Minorities affected by environmental racism” “People of color” “BIPOC” “Native Americans” “immigrants”
Babies or children — This category represents any reference to infants, toddlers, children, or the young being especially likely to be harmed by the health consequences of global warming. Examples include: “Children” “Infants or toddlers” “The young”
Areas prone to climate impacts — This category represents any reference to people living in places that are more likely to be affected by climate-related problems. Examples include: “Places where weather extremes happen: fires, floods etc” “people living in areas that are more affected by global warming” “Those living in flood plains”
Coast dwellers — This category represents any reference to people living on the coast or near a body of water. Examples include: “People near water because of rising sea levels” “Those who may live near coastlines” “Those near bodies of water”
People experiencing homelessness or unsafe housing conditions — This category represents any reference to people who are not housed or whose housing is not safe, including not being adequately heated, cooled, or powered. Examples include: “the homeless” “Those unable to afford air conditioning” “power loss”
People who live or work in polluted areas — This category represents any reference to people living or working in areas with polluted air, water, or soil. Examples include: “Ones living in polluted areas” “People [who] are exposed to all kinds of smog and poor air quality” “Miners” “Industrial workers”
City dwellers — This category represents any reference to people who live in cities or urban areas. Examples include: “Urban areas” “inner city poor Americans” “people in crowded urban environments”
People in a specific region — This category represents any reference to people living in a specific region or regions in the U.S. Examples include: “Those in mid Atlantic states that now have milder climates” “people in the South” “Alaskans”
Everyone — This category represents answers saying that everyone is likely to be affected by the health harms of climate change. Examples include: “All types” “All Americans”
Don’t know — This category represents any reference to not knowing or being unsure of who is likely to be affected. It applies even when the respondent offers a guess, but says they are not sure. Examples include: “Don’t know” “not sure” “maybe people who live in Alaska”
People with light or sensitive skin — This category represents any reference to people with fair or sensitive skin. Examples include: “Fair skinned people” “Caucasians” “People with sensitive skin”