Americans Are Confused On Climate, But Support Cutting Carbon Pollution

The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication periodically surveys Americans' opinions on climate change, and this past year's results are particularly interesting. A surprisingly high 70% of Americans agree that climate change is indeed happening, but bizarrely only 49% believe that scientists think it is happening. Stranger still, 71% trust scientists on the matter. So most Americans know that climate change is occurring, but have the impression that many scientists do not (or do not agree), despite the reality that scientists do form a very robust consensus on the science of anthropogenic climate change. And despite the view that scientists do not agree on climate change, most Americans trust the scientists nonetheless. "Given that Americans don’t mind if climate scientists engage in general science advocacy, this suggests that perhaps more scientific experts should speak out about climate science realities and the expert consensus on human-caused global warming."

Americans are also split on the cause of climate change. Just over half believe that human activities are to blame, while others point to natural causes. Americans also do not see climate change as an immediate problem, rather thinking that it would have harmful effects in the future, or in other countries. Despite this lack of urgency, most are in favor of regulating carbon (75%) and 82% are in favor of funding renewable energy research. This includes coal-heavy states and conservatives. 

Why, exactly, should we care about what the average American believes about climate change? It should be abundantly clear that the current administration in the country with the largest per-capita carbon emissions will not provide leadership on climate action, on a national or international level. This suggests that our only hope is political pressure put on politicians by the public. The results from the survey give hope, but also tell us that Americans have a long way to go.