Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

Americans with disabilities are at greater risk from the health impacts of climate change. For instance, extreme weather events are especially dangerous for people with health issues and limited mobility, and emergency plans are often insufficient to ensure their safety. In our Fall 2024 Climate Change in the American Mind survey, we asked Americans about their perceptions of the health harms of global warming, and compared the answers of Americans with one or more disabilities (15% of our sample) to those without disabilities (79%).Six percent of respondents could not be identified as either disabled or non-disabled. Refer to Methods section for more details. Disabilities included vision impairment, hearing impairment, mobility impairment, and other conditions resulting in difficulties with activities of daily living such as running errands, dressing, or bathing.

Key takeaways

• Americans with disabilities are more likely to think global warming is harming their own health than Americans without disabilities
• Americans with and without disabilities have similar views on whether some groups of people are more likely to experience the health harms of global warming
• Americans with disabilities have lower trust in several information sources about the health harms of global warming

Results

We found that 23% of Americans with disabilities say global warming is harming their own health “a great deal” or “a moderate amount,” compared with 14% of Americans without disabilities. By contrast, 31% of Americans with disabilities say global warming is “not at all” harming their own health, compared with 42% of Americans without disabilities.

However, about equal proportions of Americans with and without disabilities say that some groups or types of Americans are more likely than others to experience health problems related to global warming. In other words, although more Americans with disabilities say global warming is harming their own health, the two groups do not differ in their recognition of the unequal health harms of global warming on different groups of people.

We also asked respondents about how much they trust various sources of information about health problems related to global warming. Americans with disabilities are less likely than those without disabilities to “strongly” or “moderately” trust the World Health Organization (37% vs. 46% of Americans without disabilities), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (41% vs. 49%), the Environmental Protection Agency (36% vs. 46%), and climate scientists (42% vs. 52%) as a source of information about health problems associated with global warming. Both groups have similar levels of trust in primary care doctors, first responders, local public health departments, the American Medical Association, TV weather reporters, journalists, and environmental organizations.

Key implications

Americans with disabilities are more likely than those without disabilities to say global warming is harming their health. Nonetheless, only about one in four people with disabilities overall (23%) say global warming harms their health “a great deal” or “a moderate amount,” suggesting that many may underestimate their risk. Climate and health experts, disability advocates, and risk communication professionals should collaborate on communication strategies to inform Americans with disabilities about their climate change–related health risks, and help empower them to take action. 

Given that Americans with disabilities trust certain sources of health information about climate change significantly less than other Americans, organizations that are interested in educational efforts should consider which sources are most trusted. For example, primary care health professionals and first responders would be excellent partners because they are highly trusted by Americans with and without disabilities.

Finally we note that these data were collected after the 2024 election but prior to the current administration taking office. Due to this administration’s cuts to federal climate science programs, federal agencies are now less likely to engage in efforts to educate any audiences — with or without disabilities — about the health harms of climate change and who is most likely to be harmed. Federal defunding of initiatives within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that previously protected people from the health harms of climate change puts people with disabilities at even greater risk.

Methods

The results of this report are based on data from the Fall 2024 Climate Change in the American Mind survey (n = 1,013) — a biannual, nationally representative survey of U.S. public opinion on climate change conducted jointly by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. The data were collected from December 11 to 22, 2024, using the Ipsos KnowledgePanel®, a representative online panel of U.S. adults ages 18 or older. Respondents self-administered the questionnaires online in a web-based environment. Percentages are weighted to match national population parameters.

To determine whether participants had a disability, participants were asked:

1. Are you blind or do you have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses?
2. Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty hearing?
3. Do you have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs?
4. Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, do you have difficulty running errands such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?
5. Do you have difficulty dressing or bathing?

Respondents who said “Yes” to any of the above questions were classified as having a disability for the purposes of the analysis. Sixty-three respondents (6%) were excluded from the analysis because they did not provide complete information such that they could not be identified as disabled or non-disabled (that is, they left at least one of the above questions blank and said “No” to all others).

Group differences were tested for statistical significance using the weighted proportions and unweighted sample sizes of each group. The average margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points for all respondents (n = 1,013). Average margins of error at the 95% confidence interval for Americans with disabilities and not living with disabilities are:

Americans with disabilities: +/- 8 percentage points (n = 153)
Americans without disabilities: +/- 3 percentage points (n = 797)