Climate Change in the American Mind, April 2022

• This detailed report explains the results of a survey of about 1,000 Americans and their opinions about global warming and climate change.
• The survey asked questions about people's beliefs, emotional responses, and perceived risks related to climate change and global warming.

Positives

• This paper offers interesting insights into how Americans think about our changing climate.
• Students will be able to read and interpret data regarding a survey that covers many facets of climate change opinion.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be able to read many types of graphs and charts.
• Students should have some prior knowledge of how surveys are conducted.
• The paper is lengthy but it can be downloaded for use offline or accessed using the interactive table of contents.
  

Differentiation

• Cross-curricular connections can be made in math classes discussing data analysis or in social studies classes thinking about how different cultures or groups of people think differently.
• Language arts classes could use this paper when working on informational and technical reading strategies. 
• Try using the Executive Summary section for a class discussion. Students can discuss how American opinions are changing, what opinions were and were not surprising, and what these opinions mean for climate action in the United States.
  
• As an extension, have students conduct a corresponding survey of their own. Using the questions provided, students can ask a set number of family members or friends and report their findings back to the class. You can even create a class report of your findings using a graphics tool.