This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on Americans’ attitudes about climate change, views on different energy sources, and beliefs about the links between fossil fuel pollution and health problems.

See this webpage for links to all the following resources.

HEADLINES

Yale + GMU – Steady majorities of Americans recognize that global warming is happening and caused by humans, and a rising number say that they’ve personally been affected [Website, Full Report]

Stanford + Resources for the Future (RFF) – Nearly three-quarters of Americans say that they have personally seen the effects of global warming; renewables have remained Americans’ favorite energy sources over the past decade, while support for nuclear has increased and support for gas has dropped [Website, Full Report]

ecoAmerica – Many Americans don’t know that air pollution from burning fossil fuels leads to asthma or other health problems [Website, Full Report, Topline]

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Americans continue to see scientists and health professionals as trusted messengers on environmental issues. Scientists and doctors regularly rank among the most trusted sources of information on climate change, along with NASA, the U.S. military, and people’s own family and friends. New polling data affirms the high trust that Americans place in scientists and health professionals, with Stanford and Resources for the Future finding that 67% of Americans trust what scientists say about the environment at least a “moderate” amount and ecoAmerica finding that 69% of Americans trust health professionals at least “some” as sources of information about climate change.
   
• Despite recent dips, Americans still support renewables far more than other energy sources. Stanford and Resources for the Future find that large majorities of Americans say that it’s a “good idea” to generate electricity from solar power (83%), hydropower (80%), and wind power (70%), though support for each of these energy sources has declined over the past decade as views of them have become more politically polarized. These renewable sources are also the only sources of electricity that majorities of Americans support, as far fewer say that it’s a good idea to generate electricity from nuclear power (44%), “natural” gas (38%), or coal (18%).

GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT

• [Climate Awareness] 70% of Americans recognize that global warming is happening [Yale + GMU]
   
• [Climate Awareness] 66% of Americans recognize that global warming is affecting weather in the United States [Yale + GMU]
   
• [Climate Awareness] 59% of Americans recognize that global warming is caused mostly by humans [Yale + GMU]
   
• [Climate Action] 63% of Americans disagree with the argument that it’s “too late” to do anything about global warming [Yale + GMU]
   
• [Climate + Economy] 60% of Americans agree that global warming is an “economic issue” [Yale + GMU]
   
• [Clean Energy] 83% of Americans agree that it’s a “good idea” to generate electricity from solar power, more than any other energy source [Stanford + RFF]
   
• [Clean Energy] 70% of Americans agree that it’s a “good idea” to generate electricity from wind power [Stanford + RFF]