According to the Gallup institute, which surveyed Americans from March 2 to March 18, 2026, only 23% are not at all concerned.
The level of concern is among the highest recorded since 1990, close to the record levels of 45% in 2017 and 46% in 2020, and significantly higher than the 25% recorded in 2011 or the 32% in 2015.
Public opinion is highly polarized along political lines: 72% of Democrats say they are very concerned, while only 6% of Republicans express the same level of concern.
This strong divide is also reflected in how Americans perceive media coverage of climate change:
- 65% of Democrats believe the severity of global warming is underestimated by the media
- conversely, 71% of Republicans believe its effects are exaggerated in the media
61% of American adults believe that the effects of climate change have already begun.
Regarding the causes of climate change, 64% of Americans believe that the increase in global temperatures is mainly due to “the effects of pollution from human activities” rather than “natural environmental changes.”
According to the United Nations Development Programme’s People’s Climate Vote 2024 survey, 32.5% of people worldwide say they think about climate change every day, and 23.5% think about it on a weekly basis. Only 11% say they never think about climate change.
Sources :
– GALLUP | Concerns about climate change
– UNDP | People’s vote on climate
