Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics and Policy, Fall 2025

Dec 17, 2025 | All Categories, Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics and Policy, Reports

Report Summary

This report is based on findings from a nationally representative survey – Climate Change in the American Mind – conducted jointly by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. Interview dates: November 6-14, 2025. Interviews: 1,146 adults (18+), 990 of whom are registered to vote. Average margin of error for registered voters: +/- 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

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Principal Investigators:

Anthony Leiserowitz, PhD
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

John Kotcher, PhD
George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication

Seth Rosenthal, PhD
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

Edward Maibach, MPH, PhD
George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication

Climate Change in the American Mind is conducted jointly by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.

For all media and other inquiries, please email:

George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication: Edward Maibach (emaibach@gmu.edu) and John Kotcher (jkotcher@gmu.edu)

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication: Eric Fine (eric.fine@yale.edu) and Michaela Hobbs (michaela.hobbs@yale.edu)

Executive Summary

Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population (n = 1,146; including the 990 registered voters whose data are used in this report), these findings describe how registered voters view a variety of domestic climate and energy policies. The survey was fielded from November 6–14, 2025.

This executive summary presents the results for all registered voters, while the main text of the report also breaks the results down by political party and ideology.

Global Warming as a Voting Issue

59% of registered voters would prefer to vote for a candidate for public office who supports action on global warming.
41% say they would like to hear from political candidates about efforts to reduce global warming more often.
28% say they will only vote for a congressional candidate who supports increasing the use of renewable energy and 26% say they will only vote for a candidate who supports decreasing the use of fossil fuels.
35% say global warming will be a “very important” issue to them in deciding who they will vote for in the 2026 congressional election.
When asked to choose their most important voting issue, 1% of registered voters chose global warming, making it the 17^th highest ranked most important issue out of 25.

Global Warming and Clean Energy as Government Priorities

49% of registered voters think global warming should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress.
61% of registered voters think developing sources of clean energy should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress.

Policies to Reduce the Pollution that Causes Global Warming

Majorities of registered voters support a range of policies to reduce carbon pollution and promote clean energy. These include:

87% support federal funding to help farmers improve practices to protect and restore the soil so it absorbs and stores more carbon.
77% support funding more research into renewable energy sources.
74% support regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant.
66% support transitioning the U.S. economy from fossil fuels to 100% clean energy by 2050.

Energy Production

75% of registered voters support generating renewable energy on public land in the U.S.
49% support expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast.
45% support drilling and mining fossil fuels on public land in the U.S.
33% support drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Clean Energy Infrastructure

Many registered voters support building clean energy infrastructure in their local area. These include:

Solar farms (57%)
Wind farms (53%)
Electric vehicle charging stations (49%)
High-voltage power lines to distribute clean energy (48%)
Nuclear power plants (36%)

Protecting People from Environmental Harms

92% of registered voters support requiring companies to protect workers from dangerous levels of heat.
80% support strengthening enforcement of industrial pollution limits in low-income communities and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by air and water pollution.

Eliminating Programs Related to Global Warming

79% of registered voters oppose eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
77% oppose ordering all federal agencies to stop providing information about global warming to the public.
77% oppose ordering all federal agencies to stop doing research on global warming.
65% oppose prohibiting construction of new offshore wind farms.

The Foreign Pollution Fee Act

The Foreign Pollution Fee Act, proposed by Republican members of the U.S. Senate, would put a fee on products imported into the United States based on the amount of carbon pollution emitted when they were made. The Act would affect major polluters like China and help U.S. companies (which have higher environmental standards) compete.

Few registered voters have heard of this proposed bill: Only 2% of registered voters have heard either “a lot” or “a moderate amount” about it.
After reading a short description of the Foreign Pollution Fee Act, 78% of registered voters said they support the proposal.

The Paris Climate Agreement

77% of registered voters support U.S. participation in the Paris Climate Agreement.
64% oppose President Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Energy Production and Global Warming as Economic Issues

49% of registered voters think policies that promote clean energy will improve economic growth and provide new jobs, while 27% think such policies will reduce economic growth and cost jobs.
65% think global warming is affecting the cost of living in the United States.

Transitioning from Fossil Fuels to Clean Energy

66% of registered voters say the U.S. should use more renewable energy than it does today, and 55% say the U.S. should use less fossil fuels than it does today.

Who Should Act?

Half or more registered voters say the following should do more to address global warming: Corporations and industry (67%), the Republican Party (60%), the U.S. Congress (60%), President Trump (60%), citizens themselves (58%), local government officials (54%), the Democratic Party (53%), their governor (52%), and the media (51%). Forty-five percent say they should do more themselves.

Political Advocacy

2% of registered voters say they are currently participating in a campaign to convince elected officials to take action to reduce global warming. Additionally, 11% say they would “definitely” join such a campaign, and 21% would “probably” join one.
54% say they would sign a petition about global warming if asked by a person they like and respect. Additionally, 33% would attend a local government meeting related to global warming, 32% would donate money to an organization working on global warming, 30% would contact government officials about global warming, 29% would volunteer their time to an organization working on global warming, and 27% would meet with an elected official or their staff about global warming if asked.
29% say they would support an organization engaging in non-violent civil disobedience against corporate or government activities that make global warming worse, 18% say they would personally engage in non-violent civil disobedience, and 6% say they would be willing to get arrested as part of such an action.
19% say they have signed a petition about global warming in the past year, 13% say they have donated money to an organization working on global warming, 7% have attended a local government meeting related to global warming, and 7% have volunteered their time to such an organization.
10% have contacted government officials in the past year to urge them to take action to reduce global warming.

Collective Efficacy

44% of registered voters are at least “moderately confident” that people like them, working together, can affect what the federal government does about global warming, and 44% are confident they can affect what corporations do about global warming.

Educating Students About Global Warming

73% of registered voters say schools should teach children about global warming’s causes, consequences, and potential solutions.

1. Global Warming as a Voting Issue

1.1 Most Democrats, but few Republicans, say global warming will be a very important issue when deciding who they will vote for in the 2026 congressional elections.

About one-third of registered voters (35%) say global warming will be “very important” to their vote in the 2026 congressional elections, making it the 24^th most highly ranked issue of the 25 issues asked about (refer to data tables, pp. 39-47). This is slightly lower than the percentage who said global warming would be very important to their vote in the 2024 presidential election (39%), the 2022 congressional elections (39%), and the 2020 presidential election (43%).

Among Democrats, about six in ten (61%) say global warming will be a very important issue in determining their vote for Congress. This includes 65% of liberal Democrats and 56% of moderate/conservative Democrats. Additionally, 23% of non-leaning Independents say global warming will be a very important issue in determining their congressional vote (refer to data tables, p. 40). Among Republicans, only 8% say global warming will be a very important issue in determining their vote for Congress, including 15% of liberal/moderate Republicans and 4% of conservative Republicans.

Global warming is the 13^th most important voting issue among liberal Democrats and environmental protection is 9^th. Among moderate/conservative Democrats, global warming ranks 17^th, with environmental protection 12^th. By contrast, global warming is near or at the bottom of congressional voting issues among Republicans.

This ranked chart shows the reasons that registered voters say will be "very important" when deciding who to vote for in the 2026 congressional election, broken down by political party and ideology. Most Democrats, but few Republicans, say global warming will be a very important issue when deciding who they will vote for in the 2026 congressional election. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

After each respondent rated how important each of the 25 issues would be to their vote in the 2026 congressional elections, they were shown the list of issues they had rated highest and then asked, “Which one of these issues is the most important issue to you when voting for a candidate?”

Using this method, global warming is the 17^th highest ranked most important voting issue among all registered voters, with 1% saying it is their most important issue (not shown; refer to data tables, p. 48). For context, protecting democracy in the U.S. is the #1 most important issue for registered voters, with 18% saying it is the most important issue, the #2 most important issue is the cost of living (16%), #3 is the economy (12%), #4 is government corruption (6%), and #5 is health care (6%).

Among Democrats, “global warming” is the #9 most important voting issue (2% of Democrats; not shown), with protecting democracy in the U.S. the #1 most important (30% of Democrats). Global warming is the #8 most important issue among liberal Democrats (3%) and #17 among moderate/conservative Democrats (1%). Less than 1% of Republicans overall (including 1% of liberal/moderate Republicans and no conservative Republicans) chose global warming as their most important issue.

This ranked chart shows the reasons that registered voters say will be "most important" when deciding who to vote for in the 2026 congressional election, broken down by political party and ideology. Global warming is the #8 “most important issue” for liberal Democrats in the 2026 congressional election. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

1.2 Most registered voters would prefer to vote for a candidate who supports action on global warming.

If given a choice, a majority of registered voters (59%) would prefer to vote for a candidate for public office who supports action on global warming, while only 13% would prefer to vote for a candidate who opposes action, and 28% say it doesn’t matter either way.

Nearly all liberal Democrats (95%), and a large majority of moderate/conservative Democrats (82%) would prefer to vote for a candidate who supports action on global warming, as would 42% of liberal/moderate Republicans. Finally, although 37% of conservative Republicans would prefer to vote for a candidate who opposes action on global warming, 21% would prefer to vote for a candidate who supports action.

This bar chart shows the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who would prefer to vote for a candidate who supports versus opposes action on global warming. Most registered voters would prefer to vote for a candidate who supports action on global warming. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

1.3 About twice as many registered voters want to hear more (versus less) from political candidates about efforts to reduce global warming.

About four in ten registered voters (41%) say they would like to hear from political candidates about efforts to reduce global warming “much more often” or “somewhat more often,” while 22% say they would like to hear about it “much less often” or “somewhat less often.” Additionally, 22% say they would like to hear about efforts to reduce global warming “about the same as [they] do now” and 14% say it doesn’t matter.

A large majority of liberal Democrats (79%) and most moderate/conservative Democrats (57%) say they would like to hear about efforts to reduce global warming more often, while few say they would like to hear about it less often (3% and 6% respectively). Conversely, more liberal/moderate Republicans would like to hear about efforts to reduce global warming less often (30%) than more often (22%), and about five times as many conservative Republicans want to hear from candidates about it less often (49%) than more often (10%).

This bar chart shows the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who want to hear more versus less from political candidates about efforts to reduce global warming. About twice as many registered voters want to hear more, versus less, from political candidates about efforts to reduce global warming. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

1.4 About one in four registered voters will only vote for a congressional candidate who supports increasing renewable energy use and/or decreasing fossil fuel use.

Four times as many registered voters say they will only vote for a congressional candidate who supports increasing the use of renewable energy (28%) rather than decreasing it (7%), while a majority (63%) say it will not be a deciding factor in their vote. A majority of liberal Democrats (58%) say they will only vote for a congressional candidate who supports increasing the use of renewable energy while only 1% say they will only vote for a candidate who supports decreasing it. About three in ten moderate/conservative Democrats say they will only vote for a candidate who supports increasing the use of renewable energy (31%), while few will only vote for a candidate who supports decreasing it (5%), and 63% say it will not be a deciding factor. Large majorities of liberal/moderate Republicans (81%) and conservative Republicans (76%) say a congressional candidate’s position on renewable energy will not be a deciding factor in their vote.

Conversely, about twice as many registered voters say they will only vote for a congressional candidate who supports decreasing the use of fossil fuels (26%) rather than increasing it (12%), while a majority (59%) say it will not be a deciding factor in their vote. A majority of liberal Democrats (54%) say they will only vote for a congressional candidate who supports decreasing the use of fossil fuels while only 1% say they will only vote for a candidate who supports increasing it. About one-third of moderate/conservative Democrats say they will only vote for a candidate who supports decreasing the use of fossil fuels (35%), while few will only vote for a candidate who supports increasing it (4%), and 60% say it will not be a deciding factor. Majorities of liberal/moderate Republicans (77%) and conservative Republicans (62%) say a congressional candidate’s position on fossil fuels will not be a deciding factor in their vote, with about one-third of conservative Republicans saying they will only vote for a candidate for Congress who supports increasing the use of fossil fuels (32%).

These tables show the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who will only vote for a candidate for Congress who supports increasing renewable energy use and/or decreasing fossil fuel use. About one in four registered voters will only vote for a congressional candidate who supports increasing renewable energy use and/or decreasing fossil fuel use. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

2. Global Warming and Clean Energy as Government Priorities

2.1 About half of registered voters think global warming should be a “high” or “very high” priority for the president and Congress.

About half of registered voters (49%) think global warming should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress. This includes large majorities of liberal Democrats (86%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (74%). One in four liberal/moderate Republicans (25%) think global warming should be a high or very high priority. Few conservative Republicans (12%) think global warming should be a priority.

This line graph shows the percentage of registered voters over time since 2008, broken down by political party and ideology, who think global warming should be a “high” or “very high” priority for the president and Congress. About half of registered voters think global warming should be a “high” or “very high” priority for the president and Congress. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

2.2 Most registered voters think developing sources of clean energy should be a “high” or “very high” priority for the president and Congress.

About six in ten registered voters (61%) think developing sources of clean energy should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress. This includes large majorities of liberal Democrats (92%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (83%). Thirty-eight percent of liberal/moderate Republicans think developing sources of clean energy should be a high or very high priority, as do 31% of conservative Republicans.

This line graph shows the percentage of registered voters over time since 2010, broken down by political party and ideology, who think developing sources of clean energy should be a “high” or “very high” priority for the president and Congress. Most registered voters think developing sources of clean energy should be a “high” or “very high” priority for the president and Congress. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

3. Support for Policies to Reduce the Pollution that Causes Global Warming

3.1 Most registered voters support climate-friendly policies.

Registered voters across the political spectrum support many policies designed to reduce carbon pollution and fossil fuel dependence and promote clean energy, including:

Providing federal funding to help farmers improve practices to protect and restore the soil so it absorbs and stores more carbon: 87% of registered voters, including 96% of liberal Democrats, 90% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 88% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 77% of conservative Republicans.
Funding more research into renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power: 77% of registered voters, including 100% of liberal Democrats, 92% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 73% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 47% of conservative Republicans.
Regulating carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas) as a pollutant: 74% of registered voters, including 94% of liberal Democrats, 88% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 76% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 45% of conservative Republicans.
Transitioning the U.S. economy (including electric utilities, transportation, buildings, and industry) from fossil fuels to 100% clean energy by 2050: 66% of registered voters, including 96% of liberal Democrats, 86% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 57% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 26% of conservative Republicans.

These dot plots show the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who "strongly" or "somewhat" support climate-friendly policies, including providing federal funding to help farmers improve farming practices to protect and restore the soil so it absorbs and stores more carbon, funding more research into renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, regulating carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas) as a pollutant, and transitioning the U.S. economy (incl. electric utilities, transportation, buildings, industry) from fossil fuels to 100% clean energy by 2050. Most registered voters support climate-friendly policies. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

3.2 A large majority of registered voters support generating renewable energy on public land.

Three-fourths of registered voters (75%) support generating renewable energy (solar and wind) on public land in the United States. This includes large majorities of liberal Democrats (94%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (86%), and liberal/moderate Republicans (75%) and about half of conservative Republicans (51%).

Fewer registered voters support fossil-fuel production in the United States, including:

Expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast: 49% of registered voters, including 81% of conservative Republicans, 63% of liberal/moderate Republicans, 41% of moderate/conservative Democrats, and 17% of liberal Democrats.
Drilling for and mining fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) on public land in the U.S.: 45% of registered voters, including 81% of conservative Republicans, 57% of liberal/moderate Republicans, 31% of moderate/conservative Democrats, and 13% of liberal Democrats.
Drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: 33% of registered voters, including 63% of conservative Republicans, 41% of liberal/moderate Republicans, 21% of moderate/conservative Democrats, and 6% of liberal Democrats.

These dot plots show the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who "strongly" or "somewhat" support energy policies, including generating renewable energy (solar and wind) on public land in the U.S., expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast, drilling for and mine fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) on public land in the U.S., and drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A large majority of registered voters support generating renewable energy on public land. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

3.3 A majority of registered voters support building clean energy infrastructure in their local area.

A majority of registered voters support building climate-friendly energy production and distribution infrastructure in their local area, including solar farms (57%) and wind farms (53%), and about half support building electric vehicle charging stations (49%) and high-voltage power lines to distribute clean energy (48%). These include majorities of liberal Democrats and moderate/conservative Democrats, but fewer liberal/moderate and conservative Republicans:

Solar farms: liberal Democrats, 86%; moderate/conservative Democrats, 71%; liberal/moderate Republicans, 43%; conservative Republicans, 26%.
Wind farms: liberal Democrats, 86%; moderate/conservative Democrats, 65%; liberal/moderate Republicans, 36%; conservative Republicans, 22%.
Electric vehicle charging stations: liberal Democrats, 83%; moderate/conservative Democrats, 59%; liberal/moderate Republicans, 32%; conservative Republicans, 22%.
High-voltage power lines to distribute clean energy: liberal Democrats, 69%; moderate/conservative Democrats, 51%; conservative Republicans, 38%; liberal/moderate Republicans, 34%.

Fewer registered voters support building nuclear power plants in their local area (36%), including 45% of conservative Republicans, 37% of liberal Democrats, 32% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 30% of moderate/conservative Democrats.

These dot plots show the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who "strongly" or "somewhat" support building clean energy infrastructure in their local area. A majority of registered voters support building clean energy infrastructure in their local area. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

3.4 A majority of registered voters support protecting people from disproportionate harm from environmental hazards.

A very large majority of registered voters across the political spectrum (92%) support requiring companies to protect workers from dangerous levels of heat. This includes 98% of liberal Democrats, 96% of liberal/moderate Republicans, 94% of moderate/conservative Democrats, and 86% of conservative Republicans.

Similarly, a large, politically diverse majority (80%) support strengthening enforcement of industrial pollution limits in low-income communities and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by air and water pollution. This includes 97% of liberal Democrats, 90% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 78% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 61% of conservative Republicans.

These dot plots show the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who "strongly" or "somewhat" support requiring companies to protect their workers from dangerous levels of heat and strengthening enforcement of industrial pollution limits in low-income communities and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by air and water pollution. A majority of registered voters support protecting people from disproportionate harm from environmental hazards. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

3.5 A large majority of registered voters oppose eliminating programs related to global warming.

A large majority of registered voters oppose eliminating programs related to global warming, including:

Eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): 79% of registered voters, including 98% of liberal Democrats, 86% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 75% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 60% of conservative Republicans (an increase of 13 percentage points since we last asked this question in Spring 2025).
Ordering all federal agencies (such as NASA, NOAA, and the EPA) to stop providing information about global warming to the public: 77% of registered voters, including 94% of liberal Democrats, 81% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 77% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 57% of conservative Republicans.
Ordering all federal agencies (such as NASA, NOAA, and the EPA) to stop doing research on global warming: 77% of registered voters, including 95% of liberal Democrats, 84% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 76% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 57% of conservative Republicans.
Prohibiting the construction of new offshore wind farms: 65% of registered voters, including 82% of liberal Democrats, 69% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 58% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 51% of conservative Republicans.

These dot plots show the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who "strongly" or "somewhat" oppose eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), ordering all federal agencies (such as NASA, NOAA, and the EPA) to stop providing information about global warming to the public, and ordering all federal agencies (such as NASA, NOAA, and the EPA) to stop doing research on global warming, and prohibiting the construction of new offshore wind farms. A large majority of registered voters oppose eliminating programs related to global warming. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

4. The Foreign Pollution Fee Act

4.1 Few registered voters have heard about the Foreign Pollution Fee Act.

Few registered voters (2%) have heard either “a lot” or “a moderate amount” about the Act, including 3% of liberal Democrats, 2% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 2% of conservative Republicans, and no liberal/moderate Republicans.

This dot plot shows the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who have heard "a lot" or "a moderate amount" about the Foreign Pollution Fee Act. Few registered voters have heard about the Foreign Pollution Fee Act. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

4.2 After reading a brief description of the Foreign Pollution Fee Act, most registered voters support the proposal.

After reading a brief description of the Foreign Pollution Fee Act, a majority of registered voters across the political spectrum (78%) say they support it (26% “strongly support” and 52% “somewhat support”; refer to data tables, p. 58). This includes large majorities of liberal Democrats (87%), moderate/conservative Democrats (83%), liberal/moderate Republicans (83%), and conservative Republicans (69%).

This dot plot shows the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who "strongly" or "somewhat" support the Foreign Pollution Fee Act. After reading a brief description of the Foreign Pollution Fee Act, most registered voters support the proposal. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

5. The Paris Climate Agreement

5.1 There is bipartisan support for continued U.S. participation in the Paris Climate Agreement.

In December 2015, officials from 196 countries (nearly every country in the world) met in Paris at the United Nations Climate Change Conference and negotiated a global agreement to limit global warming. On Earth Day, April 2016, the United States and 174 other countries signed the agreement, with all of the other countries soon following suit. However, during President Trump’s first term, the United States withdrew from the agreement. The United States then rejoined the agreement soon after President Biden’s inauguration in 2021. On the day of his second inauguration, January 20, 2025, President Trump again signed an executive order to begin withdrawing the United States from the agreement.

Large majorities of registered voters support U.S. participation in the Paris Climate Agreement (77%) and oppose President Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Agreement (64%). This includes nearly all liberal Democrats (97% support U.S. participation and 96% oppose the decision to pull the U.S. out) and moderate/conservative Democrats (89% and 82%, respectively). Among liberal/moderate Republicans, 79% support U.S. participation in the Paris Climate Agreement and 53% oppose President Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out. Similarly, 47% of conservative Republicans support U.S. participation, but only 25% oppose President Trump’s decision.

These dot plots show the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who support the U.S.'s participation in the Paris Agreement and oppose President Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement. There is bipartisan support for U.S. participation in the Paris Climate Agreement. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

6. Energy Production and Global Warming as Economic Issues

6.1 About half of registered voters think policies intended to transition away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy will improve economic growth and provide new jobs.

About half of registered voters (49%) think policies intended to transition away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy will improve economic growth and provide new jobs, while 27% think they will have the opposite effect, reducing economic growth and costing jobs, and 23% think they will have no impact either way.¹

Majorities of liberal Democrats (81%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (68%) think clean energy policies will have a positive impact on the economy and jobs. By contrast, about equal percentages of liberal/moderate Republicans think such policies will have a positive impact (34%) versus a negative impact (33%), and 60% of conservative Republicans think the policies will have a negative impact, while only 14% think they will have a positive effect.

This bar chart shows the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who think policies intended to transition away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy will improve versus reduce economic growth and new jobs. About half of registered voters think policies intended to transition away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy will improve economic growth and provide new jobs. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

6.2 About two-thirds of registered voters think global warming is affecting the cost of living in the United States.

About two-thirds of registered voters (65%) think global warming is affecting the cost of living in the United States at least “a little.” Majorities of liberal Democrats (88%), moderate/conservative Democrats (77%), and liberal/moderate Republicans (58%) think so, as do 42% of conservative Republicans.

This dot plot shows the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who think global warming is affecting the cost of living in the U.S. "a lot," "some," or "a little." About two-thirds of registered voters think global warming is affecting the cost of living in the United States. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

¹The full text of the survey item and response categories are: Please indicate which one of these statements comes closest to your own views – even if it is not exactly right: Overall, government policies intended to transition away from fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) and toward clean energy (solar, wind) will… (a) Improve economic growth and provide new jobs; (b) Have no impact on economic growth or jobs; (c) Reduce economic growth and cost jobs.

7. Support for Transitioning from Fossil Fuels to Clean Energy

7.1 Most registered voters think the U.S. should use more renewable energy and less fossil fuels in the future.

A majority of registered voters (66%) say that, in the future, the U.S. should use more renewable energy sources (solar, wind, and geothermal) than it does today, while only 12% say the U.S. should use less. Large majorities of liberal Democrats (95%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (80%) say the U.S. should use more renewable energy sources, as do 56% of liberal/moderate Republicans and 36% of conservative Republicans. In all four of these political groups, more people say the U.S. should use more renewable energy than say it should use less.

A majority of registered voters (55%) also say that, in the future, the U.S. should use less fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) than it does today, while only 26% say the U.S. should use more. Large majorities of liberal Democrats (87%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (69%) say the U.S. should use less fossil fuels. More than twice as many liberal/moderate Republicans say the U.S. should use less fossil fuels (43%) than say it should use more (17%). Conservative Republicans are the only group in which more people say the U.S. should use more fossil fuels (39%) than say it should use less (23%).

These tables show the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who think the U.S. should use more versus less renewable energy or fossil fuels. Most registered voters think the U.S. should use more renewable energy and less fossil fuels in the future. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

8. Who Should Take Action to Address Global Warming?

8.1 Majorities of registered voters want corporations and industry, government, and citizens to do more to address global warming.

Two-thirds of registered voters say corporations and industry should do either “much more” or “more” to address global warming (67% of registered voters, including 95% of liberal Democrats, 82% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 58% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 35% of conservative Republicans).

Half or more of registered voters, including majorities of both liberal and moderate/conservative Democrats, say the Republican Party (60%), the U.S. Congress (60%), President Trump (60%), citizens themselves (58%), local government officials (54%), the Democratic Party (53%), their governor (52%), and the media (51%) should do more. Forty-five percent of registered voters say they themselves should do more to address global warming.

Forty-three percent of liberal/moderate Republicans say their party (the Republican Party) should do more to address global warming, while only 20% of conservative Republicans say so. Large majorities of both liberal Democrats (86%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (69%) say their party (the Democratic Party) should do more.

These dot plots show the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who think each of the following should be doing more or much more to address global warming: corporations and industry, the Republican Party, the U.S. Congress, President Trump, citizens themselves, their local government officials, the Democratic Party, their governor, the media, and them personally. Majorities of registered voters want corporations and industry, government, and citizens to do more to address global warming. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

9. Political Advocacy

9.1 One-third of registered voters are participating in, or willing to join, a campaign to convince elected officials to take action to reduce global warming. Current participation is low.

One-third of registered voters (33%) say they are either “definitely” (11%) or “probably” (21%) willing to join a campaign to convince elected officials to take action to reduce global warming or participating in a campaign like this now (2%; refer to data tables, p. 64). This includes 64% of liberal Democrats (4% “participating now,” 21% “definitely would,” 39% “probably would”), 44% of moderate/conservative Democrats (1% “now,” 16% “definitely,” 27% “probably”), 18% of liberal/moderate Republicans (none “now,” 4% “definitely,” 14% “probably”), and 7% of conservative Republicans (1% “now,” 2% “definitely,” and 5% “probably”).

This dot plot shows the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who are "definitely" or "probably" willing to join a campaign to convince elected officials to take action to reduce global warming or are already participating in such a campaign. One-third of registered voters are participating in, or willing to join, a campaign to convince elected officials to take action to reduce global warming. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

9.2 Many registered voters are willing to take political actions to reduce global warming if asked.

More than half of registered voters (54%) say they would sign a petition about global warming if someone they like and respect asked them to, including majorities of liberal Democrats (89%) and moderate/conservative Democrats (70%), but fewer liberal/moderate Republicans (42%) and conservative Republicans (20%). Additionally, many registered voters would attend a local government meeting related to global warming (33%), donate money to an organization working on global warming (32%), write letters, email, or phone government officials about global warming (30%), volunteer their time to an organization working on global warming (29%), or meet with an elected official or their staff about global warming (27%).

About three in ten registered voters (29%) would support an organization engaging in non-violent civil disobedience against corporate or government activities that make global warming worse, and 18% (including 31% of liberal Democrats and 25% of moderate/conservative Democrats) would personally engage in such non-violent civil disobedience.

These dot plots show the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who "definitely" or "probably" would take various political actions to reduce global warming if a person they like and respect asked them to. Many registered voters are willing to take political actions to reduce global warming if asked. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

9.3 Relatively few registered voters would be willing to get arrested as part of a non-violent civil disobedience action.

As noted in section 9.2, 18% of registered voters say they would personally engage in non-violent civil disobedience against corporate or government activities that make global warming worse. One-third of them (6%) say additionally that they may be willing to get arrested as part of such an action (2% “definitely would,” 4% “probably would”; refer to data tables, p. 67). This includes 11% of liberal Democrats, 7% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 3% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 1% of conservative Republicans.

According to the most recent data available from the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 174 million registered voters in the United States. Given that 2% say they “definitely would” get arrested as part of a non-violent action against activities that make global warming worse, and an additional 4% “probably would,” it suggests that approximately 3.4 million to 10.4 million registered voters may be willing to do so.

This dot plot shows the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who "definitely" or "probably" would be willing to get arrested as part of a non-violent civil disobedience action against corporate or government activities that make global warming worse. Relatively few registered voters would be willing to get arrested as part of a non-violent civil disobedience action. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

9.4 Relatively few registered voters have engaged in political actions to reduce global warming in the past year.

Relatively few registered voters have engaged in political actions to reduce global warming over the past 12 months, including 19% who say they have signed a petition about global warming at least once, 13% who say they have donated money to an organization working on global warming at least once, 7% who say they have attended a local government meeting related to global warming at least once, and 7% who say they have volunteered their time to an organization working on global warming.

These dot plots show the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who have engaged in political actions to reduce global warming at least "once" over the past 12 months. Relatively few registered voters have engaged in political actions to reduce global warming in the past year. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

9.5 One in ten registered voters have urged elected officials to reduce global warming.

One in ten registered voters (10%) have contacted government officials to urge them to take action to reduce global warming at least once over the past 12 months. This includes 19% of liberal Democrats, 14% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 3% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 1% of conservative Republicans.

This dot plot shows the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who have urged elected officials to take action to reduce global warming one or more times over the past 12 months. One in ten registered voters have urged elected officials to take action to reduce global warming. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

10. Collective Efficacy

10.1 Many registered voters are confident they can affect what the federal government and corporations do about global warming.

Perceived collective efficacy regarding global warming – the belief that like-minded citizens can work together to influence what government and business leaders do about global warming – is an important motivator for individuals to take collective action.¹ Forty-four percent of registered voters are at least “moderately confident” that people like them, working together, can affect what the federal government does about global warming, as are 44% who are at least “moderately confident” that people like them, working together, can affect what corporations do about global warming.

More than half of liberal Democrats and moderate/conservative Democrats, and about four in ten liberal/moderate Republicans, express collective efficacy regarding global warming, Conservative Republicans express the lowest collective efficacy (about one in four), although that may in part be because they are less likely to support action on global warming overall.

These dot plots show the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who are "extremely," "very," or "moderately" confident that people can work together to affect what the federal government and corporations do about global warming. Many registered voters are confident they can affect what the federal government and corporations do about global warming. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

¹Bandura, A. (2000). Exercise of human agency through collective efficacy. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9, 75-78. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00064

11. Educating Students About Global Warming

The Next Generation Science Standards for K-12 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education in the United States recommend that climate change be included in school science curricula.

A large majority of registered voters (73%) agree that schools should teach children about the causes and consequences of global warming, and potential solutions. This includes nearly all liberal and moderate/conservative Democrats (98% and 93% respectively), 71% of liberal/moderate Republicans, but fewer conservative Republicans (37%; 14 percentage points lower than when we last asked this question in Spring 2025).

This dot plot shows the percentage of registered voters, broken down by political party and ideology, who "strongly" or "somewhat" agree that schools should teach children about global warming. A large majority of registered voters say schools should teach children about global warming. Data: Climate Change in the American Mind, Politics & Policy, Fall 2025. Refer to the data tables in Appendix 1 of the report for all percentages.

Appendix I: Data Tables

Data Tables can be found beginning on p. 39 of the PDF version of the report:

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Appendix II: Survey Method

The data in this report are based on a nationally representative survey of 1,146 American adults, aged 18 and older. Results are reported for the subset of 990 registered voters who participated in the survey. The survey was conducted November 6-14, 2025. All questionnaires were self-administered by respondents in a web-based environment. The median completion time for the survey was 21 minutes.

The sample was drawn from the Ipsos KnowledgePanel®, an online panel of members drawn using probability sampling methods. Prospective members are recruited using a combination of random digit dial and address-based sampling techniques that cover virtually all (non-institutional) residential phone numbers and addresses in the United States. Those contacted who would choose to join the panel but do not have access to the Internet are loaned computers and given Internet access so they may participate.

The sample therefore includes a representative cross-section of American adults—irrespective of whether they have Internet access, use only a cell phone, etc. The sample was weighted, post survey, to match key US Census Bureau demographic norms.

From November 2008 to December 2018, no KnowledgePanel® member participated in more than one Climate Change in the American Mind (CCAM) survey. Beginning with the April 2019 survey, panel members who have participated in CCAM surveys in the past, excluding the most recent two surveys, may be randomly selected for participation. In the current survey, 308 respondents, 273 of whom are registered voters included in this report, participated in a previous CCAM survey.

The survey instrument was designed by Anthony Leiserowitz, Seth Rosenthal, Jennifer Carman, Marija Verner, Emily Richards, Matthew Goldberg, and Jennifer Marlon of Yale University, and John Kotcher, Edward Maibach, Teresa Myers, Joshua Ettinger, and Julia Fine of George Mason University. The figures and tables were constructed by Emily Goddard of Yale University.

Margins of error

All samples are subject to some degree of sampling error—that is, statistical results obtained from a sample can be expected to differ somewhat from results that would be obtained if every member of the target population was interviewed. Average margins of error, at the 95% confidence level, are as follows:

• All Registered Voters (n = 990): Plus or minus 3 percentage points.
• Democrats (total; n = 451): Plus or minus 5 percentage points.
• Liberal Democrats (n = 250): Plus or minus 6 percentage points.
• Moderate/conservative Democrats (n = 199): Plus or minus 7 percentage points.
• Republicans (total; n = 426): Plus or minus 5 percentage points.
• Liberal/moderate Republicans (n = 137): Plus or minus 8 percentage points.
• Conservative Republicans (n = 289): Plus or minus 6 percentage points.

Rounding error and tabulation

In data tables, bases specified are unweighted, while percentages are weighted to match national population parameters.

For tabulation purposes, percentage points are rounded to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given chart may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. Summed response categories (e.g., “strongly support” + “somewhat support”) are rounded after sums are calculated. For example, in some cases, the sum of 25% + 25% might be reported as 51% (e.g., 25.3% + 25.3% = 50.6%, which, after rounding, would be reported as 25% + 25% = 51%).ed to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given figure or table may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. Summed response categories (e.g., “strongly agree” + “somewhat agree”) are rounded after sums are calculated. For example, in some cases, the sum of 25% + 25% might be reported as 51% (e.g., 25.3% + 25.3% = 50.6%, which after rounding would be reported as 25% + 25% = 51%).

Appendix III: Sample Demographics

Sample demographics can be found on pp. 71-72 of the PDF version of the report: