WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans’ concern about global warming or climate change remains elevated compared with what it had been prior to 2017. At least four in 10 U.S. adults have expressed “a great deal” of concern about the matter throughout the past decade (except for a 39% reading in 2023). Between 2009 and 2016, worry was typically in the low-to-mid 30% range but dropped to as low as 25% in 2011.
Currently, 44% of U.S. adults worry a great deal about global warming or climate change, among the highest in the full trend since 1989, along with 46% measured in 2020 and 45% in 2017.
In addition to the 44% now worrying a great deal about global warming or climate change, another 22% worry “a fair amount,” while 12% say they worry “only a little” and 23% do not worry at all. The latest figures are from Gallup’s annual Environment poll, conducted March 2-18.
The increased worry since 2017 is seen among Democrats and independents, while Republicans are less worried now than they were in the past. Since 2017, the percentage of Democrats worried about climate change has averaged 20 percentage points higher than between 2009 and 2016 (69% vs. 49%), while among independents, the average has increased by 16 points (45% vs. 29%). Meanwhile, Republicans’ worry has dropped from an average of 15% between 2009 and 2016 to 11% since then, including a new low of 6% this year.
More Americans See Global Warming Effects as Underestimated
Since last year, there has been an increase in the percentage of Americans who think that the seriousness of global warming is generally underestimated in the news — 44% now say this, compared with 38% a year ago. The current rate saying the issue is underestimated is the highest Gallup has measured by two points, surpassing the 2019 measurement of 42%.
At the same time, there has been a decline in the percentage saying the effects of global warming are generally exaggerated, down to 32% this year from 41% last year. This year’s figure is the lowest Gallup has measured since 2006 (30%), though it is similar to the 2016-2018 readings of 33% to 34%.
Twenty-one percent say the seriousness of global warming portrayed in the news is generally correct, similar to last year’s 20% low point. When Gallup first asked this question in 1997, 34% thought news reports on the issue were correct, perhaps reflecting a general decline in trust in the news media since then.
Sixty-five percent of Democrats say the seriousness of global warming is underestimated, essentially tied for the high point in the trend, while 30% say assessments are correct and 3% say they are exaggerated. In contrast, 71% of Republicans believe the effects are exaggerated in the news, while 14% say they are underestimated and 14% correct. More Republicans this year than last year (6% in 2025) believe the effects are underestimated, and fewer than last year (then 78%) say they are exaggerated.
The largest share of independents, 46% (a new high for the group), believe global warming’s effects are underestimated, while 30% say they are exaggerated and 20% correct.
Americans Say Global Warming Is Occurring, but Not Threatened by It
Sixty-one percent of U.S. adults believe the effects of global warming have already begun, similar to the annual findings since 2016 but higher than most other prior readings. Those who do not think the effects have already begun divide about evenly between saying the effects will happen during their lifetime (10%, including 4% who say within a few years), will happen at some point after their lifetime (12%), or will never happen (14%).
The vast majority of Democrats, 82%, believe the effects of global warming have already begun, while 2% do not think they will ever happen. Twenty-eight percent of Republicans think global warming’s effects have begun, while 36% — the plurality of Republicans — say they never will. Independents’ views are closer to those of Democrats, as 66% say the effects are already occurring.
While a solid majority of U.S. adults believe the effects of global warming have already begun, less than half, 45%, believe those effects will pose a threat to them or their way of life during their lifetime. Over time, however, Americans have become more likely to see global warming as threatening to their way of life. When Gallup first asked the question in 1997, 25% held this view. The figure increased to 31% in 2001 and has been consistently above 40% since 2016, reaching as high as 48% last year.
Sixty-eight percent of Democrats, 47% of independents and 12% of Republicans expect global warming to threaten their way of life now or in the future.
Pollution From Humans Seen as Cause of Warmer Temperatures
By nearly 2-to-1, Americans believe that increases in the Earth’s temperature are due more to “the effects of pollution from human activities” (64%) than to “natural changes in the environment” (33%). At least six in 10 have attributed global warming to human activities since 2016, including a high of 68% in 2017. The low point in Gallup’s trend, which dates back to 2001, was 50% in 2010.
Over time, partisans’ beliefs about the cause of global warming have diverged greatly. In 2001, majorities of Democrats (72%), independents (59%) and Republicans (52%) attributed global warming to pollution from human activities. Now, 90% of Democrats, 65% of independents and 28% of Republicans say this.
Winter Weather Created Three Public Opinion Climates
With much of the nation facing unusual temperatures this winter, Gallup asked a question it has updated periodically since 2012 about whether Americans considered their local temperatures to be warmer, colder or about the same as in past winters. Overall, 37% say temperatures were colder, 33% warmer and 29% about the same.
Americans living in the West are most likely to report that winter temperatures were warmer for them this year, with 65% saying so. The same proportion of Eastern residents say temperatures were colder than usual. There was less consensus among Midwestern and Southern residents, although more Southerners said temperatures were colder than warmer. Midwestern residents were about evenly divided.
Regardless of where they live, those who say temperatures were warmer this winter are more than twice as likely to believe the greater warmth was due to human-caused climate change (68%) than to normal year-to-year variation in temperatures (26%).
In contrast, those who experienced a colder winter divide about evenly as to whether the colder temperatures were due to human-caused climate change (45%) or normal yearly variation (53%).
These patterns of attribution for warmer versus colder temperatures have been typical since 2016, suggesting Americans are more likely to believe climate change causes warmer rather than colder temperatures.
Warmer winters have been associated with increased worry about global warming. In all three years in which solid majorities of U.S. adults (between 63% and 79%) reported unusually warm winters — 2012, 2016 and 2017 — the percentage worried a great deal about global warming was at least five points higher than in the previous year.
Implications
Most Americans believe global warming is occurring, express at least a fair amount of concern about it, and believe it is caused by human activities, but Republicans take opposing views on the matter. Whereas Barack Obama’s and Joe Biden’s administrations took strong steps to counter climate change, Donald Trump’s administration has cast doubt on its reality and taken steps to reverse the work of previous Democratic administrations on the issue. That shift in policy may explain why more Americans than a year ago think the seriousness of global warming is being underestimated and why concern about the issue is holding near historical highs.
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