Most Americans believe climate change is happening and that human activity is at least partly to blame1. And 66% think their own behavior can have an effect on climate change. But when it comes to global actions, Americans are less optimistic. While 72% are at least moderately confident that the world will act in the next ten years to significantly reduce emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide and other gases, only 28% think it is very likely that there will be a reduction in carbon emissions, widely considered to contribute to global warming2.
Question: In the next ten years, how likely do you think it is that the world will take action that significantly reduces carbon emissions?
Source: AP-NORC poll conducted August 15-19, 2019 with 1,058 adults nationwide.
If there is a significant reduction in atmospheric carbon dioxide, most Americans think it would be at least somewhat helpful in slowing global warming and averting further warming of the planet. The public is less convinced that a reduction in carbon emissions will be able to reverse the warming trend.
Question: Say the world were to significantly reduce carbon emissions in the next ten years, In your opinion, how much of an impact would that have on each of the following?
Source: AP-NORC poll conducted August 15-19, 2019 with 1,058 adults nationwide.
Most Americans worry about the effect of climate change on future generations, the quality of the air, and plants and animals. The public is also troubled by how climate change could be affecting the supply of drinking water and food, people’s health, coastal communities and sea levels, and less affluent people.
Question: How concerned are you about the effects of climate change on:
Source: AP-NORC poll conducted August 15-19, 2019 with 1,058 adults nationwide.
Since 2014, Americans have become significantly more troubled about the environment, whether in their own community or across the globe.
Question: How worried, if at all, are you about the current condition of the natural environment in …
Source: AP-NORC polls conducted November 20-December 1, 2014, with 1,576 adults nationwide, and conducted August 15-19, 2019 with 1,058 adults nationwide.
Those who believe in climate change are more likely to be worried about the environment. Americans who say they believe in climate change are three times as likely to be worried about the Earth’s environment and the environment of the United States.
Question: How worried, if at all, are you about the current condition of the natural environment in …
Source: AP-NORC poll conducted August 15-19, 2019 with 1,058 adults nationwide.
The nationwide poll was conducted August 15-19, 2019, using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,058 adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points for all respondents.
