Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

9. Comparison with the U.S. General Population

GitHub users’ responses can be compared to estimates from Climate Change in the American Mind (CCAM) for items that appear in both surveys. CCAM is a nationally representative U.S. survey conducted jointly by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. The most recent CCAM wave was fielded April 17-26, 2026 (n = 1,068 U.S. adults). We note that there are significant demographic and geographic differences between GitHub users and the U.S. adult population, as well as differences in sample design procedures between the two surveys (see Survey Method appendix and Sample Demographics appendix for details). Therefore, the differences described below reflect a combination of population and survey design differences and should be interpreted with caution.

9.1 GitHub users are more likely than U.S. adults to say global warming is happening and to be concerned about its impacts.

GitHub users are more likely than U.S. adults to say global warming is happening (86% vs. 68%), that it is at least somewhat personally important (82% vs. 65%), to expect at least moderate harm from global warming to future generations (82% vs. 68%), to say global warming will harm them personally at least a moderate amount (68% vs. 45%), and to be worried about global warming (79% vs. 66%). Note, however, that these comparisons do not account for the population and survey design differences described above.