Climate Insights

RFF's Climate Insights data tool examines American public opinion on issues related to climate change—beliefs about existence and threat, as well as public support for government action and specific policy preferences. Every few years, Stanford University Professor Jon Krosnick collaborates with scholars at Resources for the Future to explore American public opinion on these issues through a series of rigorous national surveys of random samples of American adults.

2020 Climate Insights Survey

The 2020 iteration of the Climate Insights survey polled 999 American adults during the 80-day period from May 28, 2020 to August 16, 2020. Find out more about the survey here and below:

More information about recent surveys can be found below:

July 2018

• Survey questions and answers: Public Attitudes on Global Warming 2018 (PDF)
• ABC News article: Public backs action on global warming - but with cost concerns and muted urgency

April 2015

• Survey questions and answers: Global Warming National Poll 2015: Part III (PDF)

February 2015

• New York Times article: Climate Change Is of Growing Personal Concern to US Hispanics, Poll Finds
• Survey questions and answers: Global Warming National Poll 2015: Part II (PDF)
• Background Material on Hispanic Attitudes toward Climate Change (PDF)

January 2015

• New York Times article: Most Americans Support Government Action on Climate Change, Poll Finds
• New York Times interactive: Global Warming: What Should Be Done?
• Survey questions and answers: Global Warming National Poll 2015 (PDF)

June 2014

• Press release: Public Opinion on Climate Remains Unchanged, According to New RFF Survey
• Survey questions and answers: Global Warming National Poll 2014 (PDF)

December 2013

• USA Today article: Poll: Americans See Impact of Global Warming
• USA Today article: Poll: Slight Majority Backs Keystone Pipeline
• Common Resources blog post: RFF/Stanford/USA Today Poll Shows Majority Support for Regulating Power Plant GHG Emissions
• Infographic: Surveying American Attitudes Toward Climate Change
• Survey questions and answers: Global Warming and Clean Energy National Poll 2013 (PDF)
• Seminar: Public Attitudes about Climate Change and Clean Energy
• Seminar: Climate Change and Clean Energy—A Survey of US Public Attitudes

Since 1997, Stanford University Professor Jon Krosnick has led surveys exploring American public opinion on issues related to global warming, human activity, government policies to address climate change, and more, through a series of rigorous national surveys of random samples of American adults. When this research program began, “global warming” was the term in common parlance. That term was used throughout the surveys over the decades and was always defined for respondents, so it was properly understood. In recent years, the term “climate change” has risen in popularity, so both terms are used in this report interchangeably. When describing survey question wordings and results, the term “global warming” is used, to match the term referenced during interviews. Empirical studies have shown that survey respondents interpret the terms “global warming” and “climate change” to have equivalent meanings (Villar and Krosnick 2011).