Most Americans (73%) are aware that air pollution from the use of fossil fuels harms human health. However, only about half (55%) are able to name even one such health impact. Additionally, the most frequently cited health impacts are general (e.g., breathing problems, respiratory illness) rather than specific (e.g., asthma).
In a nationally representative survey conducted in December 2018 by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, respondents were asked: “In your view, does air pollution from the use of fossil fuels harm the health of Americans?” Seventy-three percent of participants said “yes,” 9% answered “no,” and 17% percent answered “don’t know.”
Participants who answered “yes” were then asked an open-ended follow-up question: “To the best of your knowledge, what health problems are caused by air pollution from the use of fossil fuels?” Slightly more than half (55%) of all participants named at least one health problem related to air pollution from the use of fossil fuels. Non-specific references to respiratory problems (e.g., “breathing problems,” “respiratory illness”) were given most frequently (35%), followed by asthma (20%), and non-specific references to cancer (14%).Total responses sum to more than 55% because some respondents named more than one health problem. A total of one in three participants either responded that they didn’t know (20%) or did not provide a response to the question (13%).
The results indicate that Americans are particularly unaware of neurological health problems caused by exposure to air pollution from the use of fossil fuels. Only one percent of participants responding to the open-ended question cited neurological health problems, and no respondents mentioned a number of other health conditions linked to air pollution, including diabetes, kidney disease, or weakening of the bones.
| Air pollution-related health problems identified by respondents (open-ended) | % |
|---|---|
| General respiratory problems | 35 |
| Don't know | 20 |
| Asthma | 16 |
| Other cancer | 14 |
| No response | 13 |
| Air pollution doesn't harm health | 9 |
| Poor air quality | 6 |
| Lung cancer | 5 |
| COPD | 5 |
| Heart disease | 3 |
| Other | 3 |
| Allergies | 3 |
| Birth defects/premature birth | 1 |
| Skin irritation | 1 |
| Special populations affected | 1 |
| Climate change | 1 |
| Eye irritation | 1 |
| Neurological problems | 1 |
| Unintelligible | 1 |
| Death | 1 |
| Black lung | 0 |
| Immune deficiencies | 0 |
| Diabetes | -- |
| Kidney disease | -- |
| Weakening of bones | -- |
| Note: N = 1,114. The total of "don't know" responses includes 17% of respondents who said “don’t know” to the initial closed-ended item and an additional 3% who said “don’t know” to the open-ended follow-up item. "0" denotes that at least one participant, but less than 0.5% of the full sample, provided this response; "--" indicates that no participants provided this response. COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. |
Those respondents who said that air pollution from the use of fossil fuels causes health problems were asked an additional set of questions. First, we asked “Do you think that some groups of Americans are more likely than other Americans to experience health problems caused by air pollution from the use of fossil fuels?” In response, 56% of participants said they think some groups of Americans are more affected by air pollution from the use of fossil fuels than others, while 4% said no group is at higher risk, and 12% indicated that they “don’t know.”Percentages are based on the full sample of Americans (N = 1,114)
Participants who responded that they did think some groups of Americans are more affected by air pollution from the use of fossil fuels than others were then asked an open-ended follow-up question: “Which groups of Americans do you think are more likely than other Americans to experience health problems caused by air pollution from the use of fossil fuels?” Nearly half of participants (48%) named at least one group. Seniors were mentioned most often (15%), followed by those who live or work in polluted areas (13%), children (8%), people who live in cities (8%), people who are sick or disabled (7%), those in low-income households (7%), infants and very young children (3%), those with weak immune systems (2%), minorities (2%), people living in specific geographic locations (1%), and coal miners (1%).
Many of these responses align with scientific findings. According to the American Lung Association, children and teenagers, older adults, people who have low incomes, people who work or exercise outdoors, people who live or work near busy highways, and people with lung diseases, cardiovascular diseases, or diabetes are all at higher risk of suffering health problems from air pollution.
| Populations identified by respondents as being vulnerable to the health impacts of air pollution (open-ended) | % |
|---|---|
| Seniors | 15 |
| Don't know | 13 |
| No response | 9 |
| Live/work in polluted area | 9 |
| Children/young | 8 |
| City dwellers | 8 |
| Sick and disabled | 7 |
| Poor/low income | 7 |
| No groups are more vulnerable than others | 4 |
| Babies/very young | 3 |
| Low immunity | 2 |
| Other | 2 |
| Minorities | 2 |
| All people are vulnerable | 1 |
| Specific region | 1 |
| Coal miners | 1 |
| Smokers | 0 |
| Women | 0 |
| Unintelligible | 0 |
| Disenfranchised | 0 |
| Outdoor workers/farmers | 0 |
| Uninsured/limited healthcare | 0 |
| Rural | 0 |
| Note: N = 1,114. The total of "don't know" responses includes 11.8% of respondents who said “don’t know” to the initial closed-ended item and an additional 1.6% who said “don’t know” to the open-ended follow-up item. "0" denotes that at least one participant, but less than 0.5% of the full sample, provided this response. |
These findings demonstrate that many Americans are unable to name a specific health problem caused by air pollution from the use of fossil fuels, and many more Americans are unaware of the full array of serious health problems caused by air pollution from the use of fossil fuels. Many Americans are also unaware that some groups are more likely to be affected by air pollution from fossil fuels than others, and even fewer are able to name which groups are more vulnerable.
Methods
This research note is based on findings from the nationally representative survey, Climate Change in the American Mind, conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. Interview dates: November 28 – December 11, 2018. Interviews: 1,114 adults (18+), average margin of error +/- 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.
Two graduate students coded the open-ended responses using coding instructions developed by the lead author. Intercoder reliability statistics for all categories as well as the coding instructions can be found here [hyperlink to second page with files]. Reliability was calculated using the ReCal web service (Freelon, 2010Freelon, D. (2010). ReCal: Intercoder reliability calculation as a web service. International Journal of Internet Science, 5(1), 20-33.).
Click here for more information about Coding instructions for content analysis of perceived problems of air pollution from fossil fuels
Click here for more information about Coding instructions for content analysis of perceived populations affected by air pollution from fossil fuels
Click here for information about Intercoder reliability test results for air pollution content analyses