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What Do Video Gamers Think About Global Warming?


11. Global Warming’s Six Americas

11.1. Alarmed video gamers outnumber Dismissive video gamers by a ratio of four to one.

Research conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication has found that people in the United States can be categorized into six distinct groups based on their beliefs and attitudes about climate change (Global Warming’s Six Americas). The Alarmed are convinced climate change is happening, human-caused, and an urgent threat, and they strongly support climate policies. The Concerned think human-caused climate change is happening and is a serious threat, and they support climate policies. However, they tend to believe that climate impacts are still distant in time and space, and thus the issue remains a lower priority. The Cautious have not yet made up their minds: Is climate change happening? Is it human-caused? Is it serious? The Disengaged know little to nothing about climate change and rarely if ever hear about it. The Doubtful do not think climate change is happening, or they believe it is just a natural cycle. The Dismissive are convinced climate change is not happening, human-caused, or a threat, and they oppose most climate policies.

Video gamers who are Alarmed outnumber those who are Dismissive by a ratio of four to one — about three in ten video gamers (29%) are Alarmed, while only 7% are Dismissive. Additionally, about one in four video gamers are Concerned (27%) about global warming, and another one in four are Cautious (25%). About one in twelve (8%) are Doubtful, and few video gamers (4%) are Disengaged.