Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

Climate change connects directly to many other social issues such as the cost of living, the economy, health, disruption of government services, and national security. Understanding how Americans prioritize these other issues can provide valuable insights for climate communicators.

In our Climate Change in the American Mind (CCAM) surveys, we routinely ask people how worried they are about global warming. In our most recent CCAM survey, conducted May 1-12, 2025, we also asked how worried they are about a number of other public issues.

Key takeaways:

• Government corruption is a top worry for Americans – a majority (54%) say they are very worried about it. The cost of living and the economy are also among the top concerns (48% and 47% say they are very worried).
• Under one-third of Americans (29%) say they are very worried about global warming.
• Among the Alarmed, top worries are global warming (92% say they are very worried), disruption of federal government services, and the state of democracy in the U.S. (82% say they are very worried about both). Meanwhile, top worries for the Concerned are the economy (56%), the cost of living (54%), and government corruption (53%).

Overall, Americans are most likely to say they are very worried about government corruption (54%), the cost of living (48%), and the economy (47%) – roughly half of Americans are very worried about each of these issues. A second tier of concerns includes the state of democracy in the U.S. and disruption of federal government services (both 44%), followed by cultural and social divisions (36%) and the treatment of immigrants by government immigration agencies (35%). About a quarter to a third of Americans say they are very worried about issues like global warming (29%), crime (26%), and their financial situation (24%). Americans are least likely to say they are very worried about being targeted because of their or their family’s identity or beliefs (15%) – though this still represents millions of Americans expressing significant concern.

Top Public Worries by Global Warming’s Six Americas

We also compared the top worries among members of Global Warming’s Six Americas. Among the Alarmed (26% of Americans), top worries are global warming (92% say they are very worried), disruption of federal government services, and the state of democracy in the U.S. (82% say they are very worried about both). Meanwhile, top worries for the Concerned (27% of Americans) are the economy (56%), the cost of living (54%), and government corruption (53%). Members of both groups say they are least worried about too many immigrants living in the U.S. illegally – 9% of the Alarmed and 11% of the Concerned say they are very worried about this issue.

The Cautious and DisengagedResults for the Disengaged should be interpreted with caution due to small sample size. have similar top worries. Top worries for the Cautious (19% of Americans) are government corruption (43% say they are very worried), the cost of living (41% say they are very worried), and the economy (33% say they are very worried). The Disengaged (7% of Americans) prioritize the cost of living (51% say they are very worried), government corruption (48% say they are very worried), and the economy (40% say they are very worried). Members of both groups are least concerned about global warming (1% of Cautious and 5% of Disengaged say they are very worried about it).

The Doubtful (11% of Americans) and Dismissive (also 11% of Americans) are more similar in their worries. Top worries for both groups include too many immigrants living in the U.S. illegally (47% and 59% say they are very worried), government corruption (31% and 39% say they are very worried), and crime (31% and 21% say they are very worried). Members of both groups are least concerned about global warming (0% in both groups say they are very worried about it).

Top Public Worries by Political Party and Ideology

The degree to which people in the U.S. say they are very worried about public issues also varies by political party and ideology. Liberal Democrats report the highest levels of overall concern, with 81% very worried about the state of democracy in the U.S. and 77% about government corruption. Moderate/conservative Democrats are most likely to be very worried about the disruption of federal government services (such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, National Parks, Veterans Affairs, the National Weather Service, 66%), government corruption (63%), and the economy (63%). Among liberal/moderate Republicans, the top issues are the cost of living (40%) and the economy (36%). For conservative Republicans, the only issue about which more than half say they are very worried is too many immigrants living in the U.S. illegally (55%). Additionally, issues that relatively few Americans across the political spectrum are very worried about are job security, health, or being targeted because of their or their family’s identity or beliefs.

The majority of Liberal Democrats (59%) say they are very worried about global warming and moderate/Conservative Democrats also express relatively high levels of worry (42%). By comparison, few Republicans say they are very worried about global warming, including just 7% of Liberal/moderate Republicans and 5% of Conservative Republicans.

About 18% (n = 192) of our weighted sample said they consider themselves part of the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement.Including both Democrats and Republicans. MAGA identifiers are less worried about almost everything, including the cost of living, the economy, or their own financial situation. The only issues where MAGA identifiers report higher levels of worry than other respondents are illegal immigration and crime. On all other measured concerns, MAGA identifiers consistently report lower worry levels than the broader sample.

Conclusion

Americans face a wide range of issues today, including rising costs of living, government corruption, immigration policy, democratic institutions, and climate change. These worries vary significantly by Global Warming’s Six Americas as well as political party and ideology, revealing both shared anxieties and deep divisions. 

For climate communicators, these findings offer important strategic insights. While direct concern about global warming remains politically polarized, there are significant opportunities to connect climate action to other issues. Government corruption, the cost of living, and concerns about the economy rank as top worries across most political groups, suggesting that connecting climate change to these concerns could broaden appeal. For instance, communicating how climate action can reduce energy costs, create economic opportunities, or address concerns about government accountability and transparency in environmental policy could resonate across the political spectrum.

Moreover, the high levels of worry about disruption of federal government services among Democrats (66% for moderate/Conservative Democrats and 74% for Liberal Democrats) and worries about the state of democracy across multiple groups suggest that emphasizing climate resilience as essential to maintaining stable government services and democratic institutions could be effective messaging strategies.

Ultimately, these findings underscore that effective climate communication requires meeting Americans where they are, acknowledging their primary concerns, and demonstrating how climate action connects to and can help address the issues they care about most. 

For more insights on politics and climate change, please see our latest Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Spring 2025 report.

Methods

This analysis is based on a two-step research process involving separate studies to identify and measure Americans’ top worries.

Step 1: Identifying Key Issues (March 2025) 

To develop a comprehensive list of Americans’ current concerns, we first conducted an open-ended survey asking respondents: “What, if anything, worries you most about how things are going in the United States these days?” Data were collected via Prolific on March 6, 2025, from a quasi-representative sample of 634 U.S. adults (18+) using quotas for gender, age, and political party to match our Climate Change in the American Mind (CCAM) benchmarks. We analyzed the content of these open-ended responses and identified 13 thematic categories that captured the most commonly mentioned worries. Notably, while some issues like foreign policy, international conflicts, and tariffs were mentioned by respondents, they did not emerge frequently enough to warrant inclusion as standalone categories in our follow-up survey.

Step 2: Measuring Worry Levels (May 2025) 

The 13 categories identified in Step 1 became the basis for closed-ended questions in our nationally representative Climate Change in the American Mind survey, conducted jointly by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. Interview dates: May 1-12, 2025. Interviews: 1,040 adults (18+). Average margin of error: +/- 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

For each of the 13 issues, respondents were asked to indicate their level of worry on a four-point scale. The data presented in this report focus on the percentage who said they were “very worried” about each issue. Since respondents could express high worry about multiple issues simultaneously, the percentages across issues are not mutually exclusive.

Weighted sample proportions and average margins of error at the 95% confidence interval for the subgroups are:

• Liberal Democrats: +/- 5.3 percentage points (n = 245; 23% of weighted sample)
• Moderate/conservative Democrats: +/- 5.4 (n = 222; 22% of weighted sample)
• Liberal/moderate Republicans: +/- 5.7 (n = 123; 12% of weighted sample)
• Conservative Republicans: +/- 5.2 percentage points (n = 283; 25% of weighted sample)
• MAGA movement identifiers: +/- 6 percentage points (n = 189; 18% of weighted sample)
• Non-MAGA identifiers: +/- 3.1 percentage points (n = 776; 75% of weighted sample)
• Alarmed: +/- 5.2 percentage points (n = 273; 26% of weighted sample)
• Concerned: +/- 5.2 percentage points (n = 276; 27% of weighted sample)
• Cautious: +/- 5.5 percentage points (n = 190; 19% of weighted sample)
• Disengaged: +/- 5.9 percentage points (n = 60; 7% of weighted sample)
• Doubtful: +/- 5.7 percentage points (n = 125; 11% of weighted sample)
• Dismissive: +/- 5.7 percentage points (n = 116; 11% of weighted sample)

Rounding error and tabulation

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%.

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