Most Americans have been affected by extreme heat this year

August 6, 2026

Adults are increasingly likely to say extreme heat in the past year has impacted their electricity bills, outdoor plans, and other routines. At the same time, the public has become slightly less inclined to believe that climate change is happening.

About half of adults say extreme heat has had a major impact on their electricity bills, while 3 in 10 say the same about their outdoor activities. Fewer report major impacts on their exercise routines, sleep, pets, travel or vacation plans, the timing of events like weddings or reunions, or their job or commute.

Ninety percent of adults say extreme heat has had at least a minor impact on their lives, up from 83% two years ago, according to a July 2024 AP-NORC poll. Adults have also become more likely to report major impacts across nearly every item, except when it comes to their pets.

Extreme heat’s toll has grown in some regions while holding steady in others. Compared with July 2024, people living in the Midwest are now more likely to say it has had a major effect on their electricity bills (44% vs. 29%), outdoor activities (27% vs. 16%), sleep (16% vs. 5%), pets (13% vs. 7%), travel or vacation plans (11% vs. 2%), and the timing of events (9% vs. 4%).

In the West, adults are more likely than they were in July 2024 to report that extreme heat has had a major impact on their outdoor activities (35% vs. 19%), exercise routines (28% vs. 17%), sleep (26% vs. 17%), pets (22% vs. 13%), travel or vacation plans (21% vs. 12%), the timing of events (18% vs. 7%), and their job or commute (17% vs. 8%). By contrast, a similar share of adults in the South and Northeast have experienced major impacts in each aspect listed as in July 2024, though Southerners are more likely to say extreme heat has had a major impact on the timing of events (13% vs. 6%).

Sixty-six percent of adults say climate change is happening, down slightly from 73% who said the same a year ago, according to an AP-NORC/EPIC September 2025 poll.

Adults who live in the South are less likely to say climate change is happening than they were in September 2025 (60% vs. 72%), while those in the Northeast (13% vs. 6%) and Midwest (18% vs. 6%) are more likely to say it is not happening. Views among adults in the West remain similar to those reported in 2025.

Among adults who believe climate change is happening, over half (57%) attribute it entirely or mostly to human activities, while about a third (32%) say it is caused equally by human activities and natural changes in the environment. Only 9% attribute it entirely or mostly to natural changes in the environment. These figures are similar to those reported in September 2025.

Younger adults are more likely than older adults to attribute climate change to human activities. Seven in 10 adults under age 30 say climate change is caused entirely or mostly by human activities, compared with 46% of adults ages 60 and older. Similar patterns exist across party lines: Democrats are more likely than independents and Republicans to attribute climate change primarily to human activity (71% vs. 50% and 38%, respectively). In contrast, Republicans are more likely than independents and Democrats to attribute climate change primarily to natural changes in the environment (21% vs. 10% and 3%).