Climate Change Concerns Higher in the Northeast, West U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The premise of the Green New Deal being debated in Congress is that the window to combat global warming's imminent effects on the U.S. and the world is closing. But not all Americans are equally convinced of its immediate threat. Americans living in the Northeast (67%) or the West (67%) are more likely than those living in the Midwest (60%) or the South (53%) to believe climate change is now occurring.

	Believe global warming has already begun	Believe seriousness of global warming is generally correct or underestimated
	%	%
Northeast	67	70
West	67	67
Midwest	60	62
South	53	60
Figures represent aggregated data from 2017 to 2019
Gallup

These regional differences also bear out in how dire Americans believe the issue is. Close to seven in 10 residents in the Northeast and West versus closer to six in 10 in the Midwest and South believe that media reporting of global warming is generally accurate or even underestimates the problem.

These data are from Gallup's latest Environment poll, conducted March 1-10.

Most Americans report worrying "a great deal" or a "fair amount" about global warming, but the combined percentage worried is a bit higher among residents of the Northeast and West than the Midwest and the South.

	Great deal/Fair amount	Only a little/Not at all
	%	%
Northeast	72	28
West	67	32
Midwest	62	38
South	61	39
Figures represent aggregated data from 2017 to 2019
Gallup

The regional differences in views about global warming largely reflect the political leanings of each region's states and the politicization of the issue, with many Democrats sounding the alarm on the severity of climate change and many Republicans casting doubts about its effects and its cause.

Among six environmental concerns Gallup asks about, worries about global warming show the greatest regional differences.

	Northeast	Midwest	South	West
	%	%	%	%
Global Warming	72	62	61	67
Loss of Tropical Rain Forests	67	64	67	73
Air Pollution	80	73	74	79
Extinction of Plant and Animal Species	74	67	71	73
Pollution of Rivers, Lakes and Reservoirs	85	80	83	84
Pollution of Drinking Water	84	82	83	80
Figures represent aggregated data from 2017 to 2019
Gallup

Though most Americans rate the quality of the environment in the U.S. more negatively than positively, there are regional differences. Southerners and Midwesterners are mixed, skewing slightly negative in how they rate the quality of the nation's environment, while residents in the Northeast and West are substantially more negative in their ratings.

	Excellent/Good	Only fair/Poor
	%	%
South	46	53
Midwest	47	53
West	38	62
Northeast	39	61
Figures represent aggregated data from 2017 to 2019
Gallup

Bottom Line

Different regions have tried various approaches to environmental protection in recent years. Upon President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, a group of 23 states -- primarily those clustered in the East and West -- took the initiative to advance the accord's goals on their own, in lieu of federal support. Meanwhile, large shale reserves, from which natural gas can be extracted, cut across states with varying policies on the practice of hydrofracking -- making this a contentious issue between neighboring states with differing policies on fracking.

These regional differences about the environment and global warming could hinder environmental action at the federal level. Worry about global warming is up and majorities of Americans support proposals to reduce the use of fossil fuels while increasing the production of wind and solar energy. However, without more consensus from around the country, ambitious approaches to address climate change, like the Green New Deal -- or even GOP alternatives - could struggle to attain the necessary votes.

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.

View complete question responses and trends.