Drawing on a nationally representative survey (n = 1,013) conducted from December 11 – 22, 2024, this report describes Americans’Throughout this report, we use the term “Americans” to refer to adults (18+) who reside in the United States (the 50 states plus the District of Columbia). perceptions of the health harms of global warming. This report also compares many of these results to surveys conducted in October 2014 (n = 1,275), December 2018 (n = 1,114), and April 2020 (n = 1,029).
This report focuses on public perceptions of the health harms of climate change and various sources of energy. Global warming is causing many health harms in the United States. Examples include injuries and deaths due to extreme events such as heat waves, wildfires, storms, and floods, the increasing geographic range of infectious diseases, and increasing exposure to air pollution. These harms disproportionately affect low-income people, people of color, and people with health conditions, among other groups.
The survey results reported here assess Americans’ awareness and understanding of the health harms of global warming; their beliefs about who should take action to protect people from these harms; and their trust in various sources of information about these harms. We compare many of the results with prior surveys conducted in 2014, 2018, and 2020.
Among the key findings in this report:
Beliefs about the Health Harms of Global Warming
- Many Americans have thought (32%) or worried (28%) a “great deal” or “moderate amount” about the health harms of global warming, similar to the percentages in 2014.
- 39% of Americans think Americans’ health is being harmed by global warming “a great deal” or “a moderate amount,” an 8 percentage point increase from 2014. However, only 16% think their own health is being harmed by global warming a “great deal” or a “moderate amount.”
- When asked to name health problems related to global warming, about four in ten Americans (37%) identify at least one health problem (+5 points since 2014).
- When asked about a list of potential health harms, Americans increasingly identify heat stroke (45%, +31 points since 2014), air pollution (44%, +26 points), asthma and/or other lung diseases (43%, +26 points), and pollen-related allergies (41%, +23 points), among other health harms, as likely to become “much more” or “somewhat more” common in their communities if global warming is not addressed.
Beliefs About Who is Most Likely to Experience Health Problems from Global Warming
- 47% of Americans understand that some groups in the U.S. are more likely than others to experience the health harms of global warming, +13 points since 2014.
- When asked to name groups more likely than others to be affected, Americans most commonly identify low-income people (18%, +12 points since 2014), older adults (7%), people with health conditions (6%), and people of color (6%, +5 points).
Beliefs About the Health Harms of Energy Sources
- Most Americans think coal (65%) harms people’s health, and many think natural gas does (38%, +9 points since 2018).
- 53% of Americans believe nuclear energy harms health, the same percentage as in 2018.
- Small, yet increased proportions of Americans believe wind (15%, +9 points) and solar power (12%, +7 points) harm people’s health.
Beliefs About Who Should Do More to Protect People from the Health Harms of Global Warming
- 39% of Americans think federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) should do more to protect people from health harms related to global warming.
- 24% of Americans think doctors, nurses, and other health professionals should do more.
Trusted Information Sources
- Americans trust a broad range of information sources about the health harms of global warming, including first responders (60%, not asked on previous surveys), primary care physicians (60%, +11 points since 2014), climate scientists (50%, +10 points), the CDC (48%, +7 points), the American Medical Association (47%, +7 points), their local public health departments (45%, +11 points), the World Health Organization (44%, +7 points), the Environmental Protection Agency (43%, +9 points), environmental organizations (40%, +9 points), television weather reporters (36%, +10 points), and journalists (20%, not previously asked).