Perceptions about Climate Change

The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication conducts research on how the public perceives climate change. Their survey guages the public’s knowledge, attitudes, policy preferences, and behaviors related to climate change. Recently, data and visualizations from the Climate Opinion poll 2021 were released, showing how the public perception of climate change varies at the state, congressional district, metro area, and county levels. The table below provides data from the survey for Dane County, Wisconsin, and the US as a whole.

Beliefs Dane County Wisconsin United States
Global warming is happening 80% 69% 72%
Global warming is caused mostly by human activities 66% 55% 57%
Most scientist think that global warming is happening 73% 56% 57%
Global warming is affecting the weather 75% 63% 64%
Risk Perceptions Dane County Wisconsin United States
Worried about global warming 73% 62% 65%
Global warming will harm future generations 78% 70% 71%
Global warming will harm people in developing countries 75% 67% 68%
Global warming will harm people in the US 70% 62% 64%
Global warming will harm me personally 49% 42% 47%
Policy Support Dane County Wisconsin United States
Fund research into renewable energy sources 83% 78% 77%
Set strict CO2 limits on existing coal-fired power plants 72% 65% 66%
Require utilities to produce 20% electricity from renewable sources 70% 65% 64%
Provide tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels 80% 78% 64%
Congress should do more to address global warming 69% 58% 61%
Local officials should do more to address global warming 61% 54% 59%
Citizens should do more to address global warming 72% 63% 65%
Corporations should do more to address global warming 78% 69% 70%
Behaviors Dane County Wisconsin United States
Discuss global warming at least occasionally 43% 33% 35%
Hear about global warming in the media at least once a week 40% 32% 33%