Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, 2026
Scientific Reports
Grades9, 10, 11, 12Civics, Mathematics
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 →
Provided by Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
What it is
- This report details what registered American voters think about climate change and climate action.
- Some results are generalized to capture the views of American voters as a whole, while others are broken down to show how the views of Democrats and Republicans differ.
- The report includes the data and methodology used, making it a useful way to see where Americans agree and disagree on climate change and climate action.
Teaching tips
Classroom Implementation:
- The report is long and data-heavy, so consider assigning small sections and having student groups present key takeaways to the rest of the class.
- Alternatively, assign students to only read the executive summary (this can be done in jigsaw groups by header).
- Pick a few graphs to analyze and discuss as a class.
- Have students compare how views differ across political groups on a specific policy question and discuss what might explain the differences.
Extensions:
- Use the included methodology section to support a lesson on how survey research works, including sampling and margins of error.
- Ask students to select findings from the report as evidence to support a claim about public support for a particular climate policy.
- Ask students to analyze trends over time and identify any happenings that may have affected public opinion at that time.
Related Resources:
- Use this article about why people are changing their minds about climate change to design a campaign to increase climate change awareness.
- Use this lesson plan to discuss media literacy, climate change in politics, and the motivations for creating controversy about climate change.
From the scientist review
This report details what registered American voters think about climate change and climate action. Some results are generalized to capture what American voters as a whole think, and others are broken down to see how the views of Democrats and Republicans differ. The report is a great resource to see where Americans agree and disagree on climate change and climate action. The data and methodology used in the report are included. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
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Hosted on climatecommunication.yale.edu
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