Explore Climate Change in the American Mind
Provided by: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication|Published on: April 27, 2021|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 6-AP
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Civics, Mathematics
Authors: Xinran Wang, Anthony Leiserowitz
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This interactive graph shows Americans' beliefs on climate change and how they differ over time, by demographic indicators, and by political affiliation.
- The data includes a description, the methodology, and the survey questions asked.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This resource shows the similarities and differences in views about climate change over time by demographic, age, political affiliation, and education level.
- The graph is simple to toggle by question type and voter status.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should have a basic understanding of climate change. If looking at specific policies, teachers can preview the terms pollutants, renewable energy, and CO2.
Differentiation
- Students can be given independent time to explore the data and answer questions of interest.
- Students can be grouped and asked to work on the following questions:
- What surprised you about this data?
- What didn't surprise you?
- How has this data changed over time?
- How do education level, age, and political affiliation change how people view the climate crisis?
- Only adults over 18 were polled. If the scientists interviewed high school students, how do you think this data would change?
- Other resources related to these topics include this lesson plan about public opinion and bias around climate change and this tool to generate customizable data on U.S. climate opinions.
This resource provides data on the perceived risk of climate change in the USA. The YPCCC and Mason 4C have provided quality data over the years to demonstrate changes in public opinion and the risk perception, beliefs, attitude, and behavior about climate change. The sampling method was cross-sectional to infer a valid conclusion. However, educators should please note that this won't be necessary for replication as the sample size was small. Thus, for students in this grade level, this resource is recommended.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
