Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

In 2009, we identified Global Warming’s Six Americas – the Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive – six distinct audiences within the American public. The Alarmed are the most worried about global warming and the most likely to support and engage in pro-climate action. The Concerned are also worried about global warming, but view it as a less serious threat and are less motivated to act. The Cautious are uncertain about global warming and are not very worried about it, so are less motivated to take action. The Disengaged are disconnected from the issue and rarely hear about it. The Doubtful question whether global warming is happening or human-caused, and care among the least worried about it or motivated to act. The Dismissive reject the idea that global warming is happening and human-caused and do not believe it is a threat, and are the most likely to oppose climate action.

In 2018, we created and published the Six Americas Super Short Survey (SASSY), a four-question online questionnaire that can be used to identify which Six Americas segment people belong to. Using SASSY results from our Fall 2025 Climate Change in the American Mind survey, we find that 25% of Americans are Alarmed and that the Alarmed outnumber the Dismissive (11%) by a ratio of more than 2 to 1. Further, when the Alarmed and Concerned are grouped together, about half of Americans (52%) fall into one of these audiences. Overall, Americans are more than twice as likely to be Alarmed or Concerned than they are Doubtful or Dismissive (24%).

The Six Americas Over the Last Decade

Over the past ten years, the Alarmed have grown more than any other audience, from 11% in 2015 to 25% in 2025 (+14 percentage points). Conversely, the Cautious have decreased in size the most during that time, from 24% in 2015 to 17% in 2025 (-7 percentage points). Additionally, the percentage of Americans who are either Alarmed or Concerned has increased from 42% in 2015 to 52% in 2025 (+10 percentage points). The Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive audiences have each remained relatively stable in size over the last decade.

Communication Opportunities

Different audiences in the Six Americas want different kinds of information. Alarmed and Concerned Americans are most interested in learning about solutions to climate change, and may be most responsive to messages asking them to get involved. The Cautious and Doubtful, in contrast, want to know more about the causes and evidence that climate change is happening, and may be most responsive to messaging that explains the scientific consensus that human-caused global warming is happening. 

There are also differences in how the Six Americas engage with news platforms. In Spring 2025, the Alarmed said that news websites or apps are their most important source of news. Meanwhile, the Concerned, Doubtful, and Dismissive said social media is their most important source of news.

Climate change connects directly to many other social issues, and understanding how different audiences in the Six Americas prioritize these other issues can provide valuable insights for climate communicators. In Spring 2025, the Alarmed said their top worries are global warming, disruption of federal government services, and the state of democracy in the U.S. Meanwhile, top worries for the Concerned were the economy, the cost of living, and government corruption. Communicating how climate action can reduce energy costs, create jobs, or address concerns about government accountability could resonate across the political spectrum.

Resources and Data

The Six Americas Super Short Survey (SASSY) is a short, four-question online questionnaire that identifies which audience people belong to (Chryst et al., 2018). Results also show how respondents’ views about global warming compare with the views of the U.S. population as a whole.

The SASSY Group tool allows users to upload their own data (e.g., from one’s own survey, a class, members of an organization, etc.). This tool determines the Six Americas segment for each person in the dataset and provides a downloadable spreadsheet and summary graphics.

Our new Guidebook: Using the Six Americas Super Short Survey (SASSY) in Campaigns and Education is designed to help teachers, communicators, advocates, pollsters, and researchers use the SASSY tool. It includes case studies of communicators using the tool in diverse settings and highlights the many benefits of using SASSY.

Methods

Data are from the biannual Climate Change in the American Mind survey, a nationally-representative survey of public opinion on climate change in the United States conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. The most recent survey was conducted from November 6-14, 2025, using the Ipsos KnowledgePanel®, a representative online panel of U.S. adults (18+). Respondents self-administered the questionnaires online in a web-based environment.

The average margin of error for each wave is +/- 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Results are adjusted on a number of key demographic categories to align with U.S. Census parameters. Percentage points are rounded to the nearest whole number for tabulation purposes and summed categories (e.g., “Alarmed” + “Concerned”) are rounded after sums are calculated (e.g., 27.6% + 28.6% = 56.2%, which after rounding would appear in this report as 28% + 29% = 56%). Percentages in a given chart may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. 

Data tables for accessibility