The data in this report are based on a nationally representative survey of 1,013 American adults, aged 18 and older. The survey was conducted December 11 – 22, 2024. All questionnaires were self-administered by respondents in a web-based environment. The median completion time for the survey was 24 minutes.
The sample was drawn from the Ipsos KnowledgePanel®, an online panel of members drawn using probability sampling methods.
Prospective members are recruited using a combination of random digit dial and address-based sampling techniques that cover virtually all (non-institutional) resident phone numbers and addresses in the United States. Those contacted who would choose to join the panel but do not have access to the Internet are loaned computers and provided Internet access so they may participate.
The sample therefore includes a representative cross-section of American adults – irrespective of whether they have Internet access, use only a cell phone, etc. Key demographic variables were weighted, post survey, to match US Census Bureau norms.
From November 2008 to December 2018, no KnowledgePanel® member participated in more than one Climate Change in the American Mind (CCAM) survey. Beginning with the April 2019 survey, panel members who have participated in CCAM surveys in the past, excluding the most recent two surveys, may be randomly selected for participation. In the current survey, 267 respondents participated in a previous CCAM survey.
To test whether the proportions of respondents who selected a given answer or set of answers differed between 2024 and a previous year, two-tailed two-proportion z-tests were conducted with an alpha level of 0.05.
The survey instrument was designed by Anthony Leiserowitz, Seth Rosenthal, Jennifer Carman, Marija Verner, Matthew Goldberg, and Jennifer Marlon of Yale University, and Edward Maibach, John Kotcher, Teresa Myers, Joshua Ettinger, Julia Fine, and Kathryn Thier of George Mason University. The content analysis of the open-ended responses, including the development of categories, was conducted by Julia Fine, Joshua Ettinger, Yuan Yue, and Hilyatuz Zakiyyah of George Mason University. The figures and tables were constructed by Emily Goddard of Yale University.
Sample details and margins of error
All samples are subject to some degree of sampling error – that is, statistical results obtained from a sample can be expected to differ somewhat from results that would be obtained if every member of the target population were interviewed. Average margins of error for each wave of CCAM, at the 95% confidence level, are plus or minus 3 percentage points except where noted.
Rounding error and tabulation
In data tables, bases specified are unweighted, while percentages are weighted to match national population parameters.
For tabulation purposes, percentage points are rounded to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given figure or table may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. Summed response categories (e.g., “strongly agree” + “somewhat agree”) are rounded after sums are calculated. For example, in some cases, the sum of 25% + 25% might be reported as 51% (e.g., 25.3% + 25.3% = 50.6%, which after rounding would be reported as 25% + 25% = 51%).