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March 28, 2019
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing discussing Americans' evolving perceptions of climate change. Americans have diverse and sometimes opposing views about climate change, which can fundamentally shape the political discourse around climate action. Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz, the featured speaker, explained recent trends in Americans' climate change knowledge, attitudes, policy support, and behavior and discuss strategies to build public and political will for climate action. He discussed how voter attitudes towards climate change and clean energy influenced the 2018 mid-terms and may influence the 2020 election cycle.
Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz, Director, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University
Watch our interview of Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz
Do you have any explanations as to why the support for solutions to climate change is so much stronger than the belief in the problem?
Do you believe there will be a climate movement on the same scale as the MeToo and BlackLivesMatter movements?
What are your recommendations for talking about climate change and possible solutions?
Yale University research has found that six in ten Americans are now either “Alarmed” or “Concerned” about global warming. The proportion of respondents categorized as “Alarmed” has more than doubled from 2013 to 2018. Inversely, the shares of those who are Dismissive (9 percent) and Doubtful (9 percent) have both fallen significantly in the past 5 years. According to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, the "Alarmed" now outnumber the "Dismissive" more than three to one (29 percent vs. 9 percent), whereas they were tied at 14 percent each in 2013.
Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz is an expert on public opinion and engagement with respect to the issues of climate change and the environment. His research investigates the psychological, cultural, and political factors that influence environmental beliefs, attitudes, policy support, and behavior. He conducts research at the global, national, and local scales, including many surveys of the American public. He also conducted the first study of worldwide public values, attitudes, and behaviors regarding sustainability, including environmental protection, economic prosperity, and human development. He has served as a consultant to the John F. Kennedy School of Government (Harvard University), the United Nations Development Program, the Gallup World Poll, and the World Economic Forum. He is a recipient of the Friend of the Planet Award from the National Center for Science Education and a Mitofsky Innovator Award from the American Association of Public Opinion Research. He is also the host of Climate Connections, a daily national public radio program and podcast.