Editor's Note: This article was updated on Dec. 13, 2024, with recent Gallup data pertaining to Americans' views on global warming.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults are concerned about global warming or climate change, with 61% worrying about it “a great deal” (40%) or “a fair amount" (21%). Separately, nearly half of Americans (45%) believe global warming will pose a serious threat to themselves or their way of life in their lifetime.
These results are based on the average for these questions in Gallup’s 2023-2024 Environment surveys, and show attitudes that are fairly stable. Americans' concern about climate change is about average for the trend that dates back to 1989, though it has been as high as 72% in 2000 and as low as 50% in 1997. Perceptions of climate change’s effects in their lifetime are currently higher than the historical average of 39%, as they have been since 2016.
While less than half of Americans say climate change will pose a serious threat to their way of life in their lifetime, about six in 10 every year since 2016 have said the effects of global warming have already begun.
Currently, 62% of Americans believe increases in the Earth's temperature over the past century are due mainly to "the effects of pollution from human activities." The remaining 35% ascribe them to "natural changes in the environment that are not due to human activities."
Attitudes about the cause of climate change have been fairly flat since 2016, while from 2008 to 2015, fewer than six in 10 each year believed humans were responsible.
Views About Global Warming Among U.S. Subgroups
Public concern about climate change -- the percentage worried a great deal or fair amount -- exceeds 50% among most major demographic subgroups of Americans. Republicans are the only exception, with 28% worried. Still, the level of concern varies significantly by gender, age, education, race/ethnicity and region, with women, younger adults, those with postgraduate education, non-White adults and residents outside of the South expressing greater worry than their counterparts.
Gallup measures public attitudes about global warming each March as part of its Environment poll -- one of 12 surveys that make up the Gallup Poll Social Series.
Explore more Gallup articles about global warming on the Environment Topics page.
Explore Gallup questions and trends about global warming on Gallup's Topics A-Z: Environment page.
For more articles in the "Short Answer" series, visit Gallup's The Short Answer page.
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