Americans’ Attitudes and Actions on Climate Change

Belief in human-driven climate change has remained fairly consistent over time— with a slight increase in belief among Republicans driven by Republicans under 45

Belief that climate change is driven primarily by human activities has been a fairly consistent sentiment over the last nine years. Though a majority of Democrats said they believed in human-driven climate change, just about a third of Republicans said the same. That said, belief among Republicans has increased over time, driven by Republicans under age 45.

Most Americans have experienced a climate event and a third saw their insurance costs rise as a result

Ninety-four percent of Americans experienced extreme climate events like unusually hot days, drought, wildfires and poor air quality in the past year. About one third of Americans saw their insurance costs rise as a result of a climate event. Those who experienced a climate event are twice as likely as those who have not to have purchased additional or separate insurance coverage specifically for extreme weather. Fifty-nine percent of those living in the Pacific have experienced wildfires in the past 12 months, and about half of those living in the South Atlantic experienced severe storms. About 4 in 10 of those in the Pacific and South Atlantic have experienced an increase in insurance premiums or deductibles because of extreme weather.

More Americans who have experienced climate events believe in climate change and the need for policy action

Americans who have personal experience with climate events are more likely to believe in climate change, and this gap has increased over time. In 2023, there was a 19-percentage point difference in climate change belief between those who had and those who hadn’t experienced climate events. This year, the gap was 34 percentage points. About 8 in 10 or more who experienced extreme weather believe that climate change was a contributing factor, and about half or more think it was a major factor. Those who experienced extreme weather are also more likely to believe the federal government should combat climate change, as well as to support regulations to reduce emissions and funding to help communities adapt to climate change.

Americans’ Views on Climate and Energy Policy

Most Americans support policies that protect our air, water and land, as well as policies that reduce emissions, with a large partisan divide on almost all policies

Democrats strongly support environmental and climate policies, such as incentives to expand  renewable energy and purchase EVs, funding to help states adapt to climate change, and enforcing strict clean air and water regulations—all policies rolled back by the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans. Despite rollback efforts, most Americans support these policies and about half or more of Republicans put their support behind enforcing clean air and water regulations and building new renewable energy. There is a wide gap—25- to 43-points—between Democrats and Republicans on almost all of the climate policies polled in the chart below. Protecting conservation lands and wildlife is one area of strong bipartisan support.

Most Americans don’t support the expansion of fossil fuel development

Though the Iran war has tightened the global supply of oil, leading the Trump administration to ramp up fossil fuel development at home, most Americans don’t support these actions. Looking at Americans’ views before and after the start of the war, their views on this matter did not change—including among Republicans, with about 2 in 3 supporting the expansion of oil and gas production and about half supporting the expansion of natural gas exports in both 2025 and 2026. About half of Americans oppose auctioning off public lands for oil drilling. Only a about a third of Republicans support this—a policy pushed forward by the Trump administration, which has reversed the protections of some conservation areas. That’s despite the fact that 82 percent of Republicans say they support the protection of conservation lands and wildlife.

Young Republicans are less supportive of policies to expand fossil fuels than older Republicans and more supportive of climate policies

Younger Republicans (18-29) disagree with their older counterparts (60+) on a wide variety of energy and climate policies. Generally, younger Republicans are more likely than older Republicans to support incentives for electric vehicles and efforts to help communities adapt to climate change. Conversely, older Republicans support the expansion of oil and gas production and auctioning off public land for drilling more than younger Republicans.

Americans are not very willing to pay for climate action

While 62 percent of Americans support taxing companies on the carbon they emit, they largely don’t want to pay a carbon fee themselves. Fewer than half support paying any amount of money in the form of a monthly fee on their energy use. As in 2025, 38 percent are willing to pay $1—falling from 52 percent in 2021. Willingness to pay on average declined for a second straight year.

Americans’ Views on Electric Vehicles and Gas Prices

Few Americans own an electric vehicle, more than a third say they are likely to purchase one

While just 8 percent of Americans say they own an EV, 40 percent say they are at least somewhat likely to purchase one. Forty-five percent of those who believe in climate change are at least somewhat likely to purchase an EV as their next vehicle—though climate change belief appears to play no role in current EV ownership. While Republicans and Democrats own electric vehicles at similar rates, twice as many Democrats say they are likely to purchase one compared to Republicans. Those under the age of 45, earning $100,000 or more a year, and living in urban and suburban areas are more likely to purchase an EV as their next vehicle. Americans in the West are more likely to purchase an EV (47 percent) than Americans from the Northeast (41 percent), Midwest (36 percent) and South (37 percent).

Saving money on gas remains the top reason why Americans say they would buy an EV

As gas prices continue to increase, more Americans—74 percent—say they would buy an EV to save money on gas—up from 68 percent last year. While saving money is a motivation, price is also a barrier. About 8 in 10 Americans across income brackets say the price of EVs is too high. Eighty-two percent of Democrats and 80 percent of Republicans agree on this. In fact, Democrats and Republicans also agree that they don’t know of enough charging stations nearby and there’s a lack of choice in EVs. Seventy-four percent of rural residents cite range as being a problem, as opposed to 67 percent of urban residents who said the same.

Half of Americans are cutting back on driving to save money on gas

While gas prices are a top reason why Americans say they would purchase an EV, the reality is that half of Americans are simply cutting back on driving altogether as prices continue to increase. Nearly half are finding ways to cut back on other household essentials. At the same time, just a third are changing or canceling their plans, and a quarter are turning to other forms of transportation like public transit or bicycles. Digging into income brackets reveals more. Those making less than $30,000 annually are more likely to use other forms of transportation compared to those making $60,000 or more annually. Seeking alternative forms of transportation is also more popular among Democrats compared with Republicans, younger people compared with those ages 45 and older, and those living in urban areas compared with those living in rural or suburban areas.

Americans are increasingly accepting of cheaper Chinese EVs

Despite first the Biden administration and now the Trump administration imposing tariffs to make Chinese EVs more expensive and stave off competition, the poll showed most Americans are growing more willing to buy one. In 2024, when told the Chinese version would be $500, $1,000, $2,000, $5,000 or even $10,000 cheaper than the American-made car, the majority still said they would pay more for the American car. But over two years, their commitment to American-made EVs dropped. That was especially the case when the differences between the American and Chinese EVs were just $500 or $1,000 in price. At the $1,000 price point, their willingness to buy the more expensive American EV dropped by 14 percentage points and at the $500 price point their willingness to buy dropped by 13 percentage points from 2024 to 2026. Democrats are more likely to buy the Chinese EV while Republicans are more likely to stick to the American-made one.

Americans’ views on the Impact of AI and Data Centers

Americans are more concerned about the environmental impacts of AI than other threats, and their concern is increasing

 With data centers that power artificial intelligence (AI) expected to be a major source of energy and emissions, the poll asked how concerned Americans are about the environmental impact of AI in comparison to other industries associated with emitting high amounts of greenhouse gases. It found most Americans (78 percent) are at least somewhat concerned about the environmental impact of AI, and 53 percent are extremely or very concerned compared to 41 percent in 2025. That’s an 11-point increase in just one year, while the other industries saw very little year-to-year change. Young Americans (18-29) are the most concerned age bracket (60 percent).

Half of Americans believe AI will do more to hurt than help society, with a growing number saying it will hurt the environment in particular

About half of Americans believe that AI will do more to hurt than help society as a whole. Four in 10 feel that AI will do more to hurt the economy and 3 in 10 feel that AI will do more to hurt them personally. While they held similar beliefs about whether AI will do more to hurt them personally last year, they have grown more pessimistic around the economy, society as a whole, and the environment. In 2025, a third of Americans believed AI would hurt the environment. Now, it is closer to half. Young adults remain the most pessimistic about AI’s impact on the environment, as do Democrats.

The majority of Americans are concerned about how data centers will impact their communities, and few see benefits

Americans’ AI concerns center largely around data centers, with more data centers being built throughout the country. Data centers are expected to use a lot of power, and Americans are concerned they’ll be paying higher electricity prices (63 percent) and experiencing more power outages (53 percent). Americans are similarly concerned that data centers will impact local water supplies (57 percent) since the centers use water to keep cool. Though Democrats are more concerned than Republicans, about half of Republicans share power outage and water supply concerns, with 58 percent concerned about electricity prices. There are no differences in levels of concern between urban, suburban and rural communities even though more data centers are being planned in rural areas. At the same time, few Americans see benefits in data centers.

The majority of Americans from both parties want to limit the building of new data centers, and require data centers to use clean energy and pay for grid upgrades

While the Trump administration has made swift data center construction a priority, Americans from both parties largely agree that there should be stronger policies that protect communities from potential economic and environmental harms. The majority of Americans want to limit the building of new data centers, and require data centers to use clean energy and pay for grid upgrades—all rules passed or being considered in several states. Majorities of both Democrats and Republicans support all of these policies, and respondents from the two parties are strongly aligned on requiring data centers to pay for grid upgrades. There is less support for restricting the construction of new natural gas power for data centers, even as some stateshave blocked gas-dependent data centers from being built.