A significant amount of the US general population believes in climate change and global warming, and many are taking steps to tackle environmental issues themselves
80% of the US population say they believe in global warming
With a record-breaking number of wildfires and destructive hurricanes sweeping the US in 2020, new Savanta data shows that 59% of the general population of America think climate change is a political issue. Interestingly, males are more likely to think this than females (66% vs 52% respectively).
And despite a disregard for environmental issues from top officials, we can see that for the most part, Americans believe in them. Eight in ten (80%) of the population say they believe in global warming, those under 55 particularly (87%) vs those 55+ (74%).
Even more Americans believe that climate change is a real issue that could have a devastating affect on the planet. Almost nine in ten (87%) believe in climate change – with the number rising to 95% among those in the Northeast (95%) compared to those in the South (85%) and the Midwest (82%).
So, what are Americans doing about it?
Our data shows that people in the US are generally making an effort to reduce their impact on climate change. Almost eight in ten (78%) Americans say they currently recycle their used plastic, again, those in the Northeast are far more likely to do so (91%) than those in the South (72%) and the Midwest (71%).
Two thirds (73%) say they recycle paper, although location is also a key indicator of how often people are doing so. Just 65% of people in the Midwest recycle paper, which is significantly lower than people in the Northeast (80%) and the West (78%).
The data suggests that while the majority of the US population believes in global warming and climate change, some states and areas are better at understanding and minimizing their own impact. Generally, the Northwest appears to be the most progressive when it comes to recycling – though that’s not to say that other locations aren’t continuously making an effort to catch up with them.
The state of the environment is at its peak of importance at the moment and on average, the US population appears committed to making a difference to the bigger picture through these small, personal ways.
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