Climate Change in the American Mind, April 2022
Scientific Reports
Grades9, 10, 11, 12, APScience, Social Studies, English Language Arts, Mathematics
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Provided by Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
What it is
- 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.
Teaching tips
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.
From the scientist review
This website provides a PDF link to the report summary "Climate Change in the American Mind." The report is based on findings from a survey asking Americans their beliefs and attitudes about global warming. The report provides the survey questions along with raw data displayed as graphs and charts. This is a well-sourced resource and would be a great addition to an older classroom discussing the changing attitude toward global warming.
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Hosted on climatecommunication.yale.edu
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