Key takeaways:
- Majorities of Americans say extreme weather in the United States has become more frequent and severe in recent years.
- Partisanship is a much stronger factor than region in perceptions of extreme weather in the U.S. Even within the same region, Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to report experiencing extreme weather.
Recent scientific studies have found that extreme weather is becoming both more common and more intense, and many Americans have noticed.
Majorities of Americans say extreme weather events in the U.S. are happening more often (68%) and are more severe (62%) than in the past.
Partisan differences
Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say that these events are now more frequent and more severe. Most Democrats and Democratic leaners say that extreme weather events are happening more often (85%) and that they are more severe (79%). Much smaller shares of Republicans and GOP leaners say the same (49% say more often, 44% say more severe). Across all four census-designated regions of the country, Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say extreme weather has become more common and more severe in recent years.
Past Center surveys have found that, even within the same region, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to report experiencing specific kinds of extreme weather in their community, such as unusually hot weather, wildfires and droughts.
