--- title: "Americans Are Increasingly Pessimistic About Avoiding the Worst Effects of Climate Change" description: "About six-in-ten Americans say countries around the world, including the U.S., will not do enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change. This growing pessimism is driven by Democrats." date: "2026-05-28" authors: - name: "Brian Kennedy" job_title: "Senior Researcher" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/brian-kennedy/" - name: "Isabelle Pula" job_title: "Research Assistant" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/isabelle-pula/" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2026/05/28/americans-are-increasingly-pessimistic-about-avoiding-the-worst-effects-of-climate-change/" categories: - "Climate, Energy & Environment" --- # Americans Are Increasingly Pessimistic About Avoiding the Worst Effects of Climate Change ## Table of Contents 1. [Americans Are Increasingly Pessimistic About Avoiding the Worst Effects of Climate Change](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2026/05/28/americans-are-increasingly-pessimistic-about-avoiding-the-worst-effects-of-climate-change/markdown) - [How big of a problem is climate change, and what should be done about it?](#how-big-of-a-problem-is-climate-change-and-what-should-be-done-about-it) - [Who can do the most to address climate change?](#who-can-do-the-most-to-address-climate-change) - [Can new technology address problems caused by climate change?](#can-new-technology-address-problems-caused-by-climate-change) - [How much is the federal government doing on environmental protection?](#how-much-is-the-federal-government-doing-on-environmental-protection) 2. [Americans on what causes climate change: Human activity or natural patterns?](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2026/05/28/americans-on-what-causes-climate-change-human-activity-or-natural-patterns/markdown) 3. [Do Americans think extreme weather is worse today than in the past?](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2026/05/28/do-americans-think-extreme-weather-is-worse-today-than-in-the-past/markdown) 4. [From carpooling to buying secondhand, what eco-friendly actions do Americans take and why?](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2026/05/28/from-carpooling-to-buying-secondhand-what-eco-friendly-actions-do-americans-take-and-why/markdown) 5. [Acknowledgments](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2026/05/28/climate-change-may-2026-acknowledgments/markdown) 6. [Methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2026/05/28/climate-change-may-2026-methodology/markdown) 7. [Appendix: Additional charts](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2026/05/28/climate-change-may-2026-appendix/markdown) ## Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to perceive harms from climate change ![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PS_26.05.28_climate_featured.jpg?w=640){.aligncenter width=400} **About this research** This Pew Research Center report looks at Americans’ views of climate change, the environment and related topics. **Why did we do this?** Pew Research Center does research to help the public, media and decision-makers understand important topics. This research builds on our long-standing work studying Americans’ views of [climate change and environmental issues](https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/science/science-issues/climate-energy-environment/). Learn more [about Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/about/) and our other research on [science and society](https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/science/). **How did we do this?** For this report, we surveyed 3,524 U.S. adults from March 16 to 22, 2026. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s [American Trends Panel](https://www.pewresearch.org/the-american-trends-panel/). The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population. Here are the [survey questions](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PS_2026.5.28_climate_questionnaire.pdf) used for this report, the [detailed responses](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PS_2026.5.28_climate_topline.pdf) and the [survey methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2026/05/28/climate-change-may-2026-methodology/). #### Key takeaways: - About six-in-ten Americans say** countries around the world, including the U.S., will not do enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change.** Among Democrats, this share has increased from 51% in 2022 to 69% in 2026. - About half of U.S. adults say **tech companies **can do a lot to address climate change, but **few expect technology to actually solve problems **caused by climate change in the future. - **A majority of Americans, especially Democrats, say the federal government is doing too little** on climate change. This overall share is slightly higher than it was during the Biden administration. A majority of Americans think climate change is a [very big or moderately big problem](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/05/11/americans-see-health-care-costs-deficit-inflation-as-big-problems-facing-the-nation/) for the country, including almost all Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. But just one-quarter of adults now say international actors will do enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change – while a clear majority say the opposite. **This growing pessimism is driven by Democrats.** [![Chart shows most Democrats now don’t expect U.S. and world actors will do enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PS_2026.5.28_climate_00-01.png?w=420){.alignright width=280}](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=307255) Four years ago, during the Biden administration, Democrats were more closely split on whether the United States and other countries will do enough to avoid the worst impacts from climate change (46% said this will happen, 51% said it will not). Most Democrats now predict the U.S. and other countries will not do enough (69%). This increasing pessimism comes at a time when the Trump administration has dramatically reshaped federal climate policy by taking actions such as withdrawing from [international climate agreements](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/27/so-long-paris-u-s-officially-leaves-landmark-climate-pact-00746628), weakening limits on [power plant emissions](https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/epa-eases-limits-coal-plant-emissions-mercury-toxins-trump-rcna259955) and weakening [fuel efficiency standards](https://apnews.com/article/trump-gas-mileage-per-gallon-electric-vehicles-363fcad4bb90a0859f6906d086aeac69). These findings come from a Pew Research Center survey of 3,524 U.S. adults conducted March 16-22, 2026. This research builds on our long-standing work related to Americans’ views of [climate change, the environment and extreme weather](https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/science/science-issues/climate-energy-environment/). ### How big of a problem is climate change, and what should be done about it? Republicans and Democrats remain deeply divided about how big a problem climate change is, how much harm it’s causing and how to address it. Most Democrats and Democratic leaners (68%) say climate change is harming people in the U.S. a great deal or quite a bit. And about six-in-ten also say climate change is a [very big problem](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/05/11/americans-see-health-care-costs-deficit-inflation-as-big-problems-facing-the-nation/#other-problems-facing-the-nation) facing the country today. [![Chart shows Democrats and Republicans disagree on how much climate change is harming the U.S. today](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PS_2026.5.28_climate_00-02.png?w=420){.alignright width=280}](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=307256) In contrast, only about two-in-ten Republicans and GOP leaners (22%) say climate change is harming people in the U.S. a great deal or quite a bit. And a majority see climate change as no more than a small problem. Partisans also remain divided in how much they think the federal government is doing on climate change: 87% of Democrats say it’s doing too little, compared with 31% of Republicans. This gap has been wide – spanning at least 51 percentage points – since we started asking about the federal government’s role in 2018. Although many Republicans are unconcerned about climate change, they show some openness to the U.S. working with other countries to address it. For example, 54% of Republicans today support the U.S. participating in international efforts on climate change, consistent with [past Center surveys](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2023/06/28/2-how-americans-see-bidens-climate-policies/#majority-of-americans-support-u-s-participation-in-international-climate-efforts). #### Younger and older Republicans differ on climate change Younger Republicans see more harm in climate change and are more open to efforts to address it, compared with older Republicans. [![Chart shows About half of young Republicans say the federal government is doing too little on climate change](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PS_2026.5.28_climate_00-03.png?w=420){.alignright width=280}](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=307257) - 31% of Republicans under 30 say climate change is harming the U.S. a great deal or quite a bit, and another 37% say it is harming the country some. In contrast, a majority of Republicans ages 50 and older (57%) say climate change is harming the country only a little or not at all. - 48% of Republicans under 30 say the federal government is doing too little on climate change, compared with 21% of Republicans ages 50 and older. These age differences are consistent with [past Center surveys](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2022/07/14/americans-divided-over-direction-of-bidens-climate-change-policies/#younger-republicans-more-open-to-federal-action-policy-proposals-to-address-climate-change-than-older-republicans). We’ve also found that younger Republicans are [less supportive of fossil fuel energy sources](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2025/06/05/energy-2025-appendix/ps_2025-6-5_energy_a-03/) than older Republicans. ### Who can do the most to address climate change? The survey asked the roughly three-quarters of U.S. adults who say climate change is causing *at least some* harm to the country how much certain actors can do to address its effects. Most of these Americans say big businesses and corporations – including energy and technology companies – and the federal government can make a big difference. They are far less likely to say ordinary Americans can make a big difference. [![Chart shows Many Americans say companies can do a lot to reduce the impact of climate change; fewer say the same of ordinary people](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PS_2026.5.28_climate_00-04.png?w=420){.alignright width=280}](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=307258) Among those who say climate change is harming the U.S. at least some, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say each of the groups we asked about can do a lot to reduce the effects of climate change. The biggest difference between Democrats and Republicans is on the federal government (80% vs. 48%). Even with these partisan gaps, more than half of Republicans who see harm from climate change say the energy industry and large technology companies can do a lot. ### Can new technology address problems caused by climate change? Experts increasingly talk about [technological innovations](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266727822400083X) that could address the effects of climate change. But thinking 30 years into the future, Americans are far more likely to say lifestyle changes will be needed to tackle these issues instead. [![Chart shows Smaller shares say new tech will address climate change, compared with major everyday life changes](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PS_2026.5.28_climate_00-05.png?w=420){.alignright width=280}](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=307259) Among U.S. adults who say climate change is harming the country at least some, half think it is extremely or very likely that major changes to everyday life will be needed to address most of the problems caused by climate change. Only two-in-ten say it is extremely or very likely that new technology will address most of the problems caused by climate change. A larger share (35%) say it is not too or not at all likely that technology will address these problems in the coming decades. Democrats are more likely than Republicans to expect major lifestyle changes will be needed (58% vs. 38% among those who say climate change is harming people in the U.S. at least some). Partisans largely agree that it’s not extremely or very likely new technology will address most problems caused by climate change. ### How much is the federal government doing on environmental protection? The second Trump administration has moved to weaken environmental protections. Its actions since 2025 include rolling back [air pollution regulations](https://time.com/7380172/trump-mercury-coal-plant-pollution/) and proposing limits to [waterway protections](https://abcnews.com/US/epa-proposes-limits-clean-water-act/story?id=127645448), as well as increasing [access to federal lands](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-drilling-mining-permitting-process-shortened/) for fossil fuel development and mining. [![Chart shows Majorities of Americans say the federal government is doing little to protect water and air quality](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PS_2026.5.28_climate_00-06.png?w=420){.alignright width=280}](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=307260) Majorities of Americans say the federal government is doing too little on certain aspects of environmental protection, such as preserving water and air quality and reducing the general effects of climate change. These shares are all modestly higher than they were during the Biden administration, increasing 3 to 10 percentage points each. The changes are driven mostly by the growing shares of Democrats who say the federal government is doing too little in these areas. [![Chart shows Somewhat more Democrats say the federal government under Trump is doing too little to protect the environment than said this under Biden](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/PS_2026.5.28_climate_00-07.png?w=640){.aligncenter width=400}](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=307261) Democratic views of the federal government’s current role in environmental protection are roughly similar to what they were during the first Trump administration. (Majorities of Democrats said that the federal government was doing too little in these areas during the Biden administration as well). Republican views are also broadly similar to the first Trump administration, though they are now a little more likely to say the federal government is doing too little to protect open lands in national parks and nature preserves. --- **Next:** [Americans on what causes climate change: Human activity or natural patterns?](https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2026/05/28/americans-on-what-causes-climate-change-human-activity-or-natural-patterns.md)