Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Most Americans say the Earth is getting warmer, including a narrow majority (53%) who say it is mostly because of human activity, such as burning fossil fuels. Most also view global climate change as an extremely or very serious problem. Assessing potential consequences, 62% foresee rising numbers of extreme weather events, and 58% think an […]
Among U.S. adults who don’t have children, those ages 50 and older have mixed views on whether they ever wanted to have them in the first place. And their reasons for never having kids differ from those given by younger adults who say they’re unlikely to have them. The top reason cited by those ages […]
Evangelical Protestant adults under 40 are more likely than older evangelicals to say climate change is an extremely or very serious problem.
CORRECTION (May 23, 2024): A previous version of this report listed an incorrect figure for Hispanic Americans who regularly attend religious services and say they have heard at least a little about climate change in sermons. This has been updated and does not substantively affect the findings of this report. While many Americans tie their […]
Most Americans see little ability for the U.S. and China to cooperate on climate change policy or combating the spread of infectious disease. A majority of Americans continue to view the China-Russia partnership as a very serious problem for the U.S.
Most U.S. adults – including a solid majority of Christians and large numbers of people who identify with other religious traditions – consider the Earth sacred and believe God gave humans a duty to care for it. But highly religious Americans are far less likely than other U.S. adults to express concern about warming temperatures around the globe.
Americans now see reducing the budget deficit as a higher priority for the president and Congress to address than in recent years. But strengthening the economy continues to be the public’s top policy priority.
Clergy and religious organizations have participated for decades in the environmental movement, contributing sermons on the sanctity of the Earth, sharing papal warnings about climate change, lobbying on behalf of renewable energy, and issuing interfaith declarations about preserving the planet for future generations. These efforts have helped introduce the language of morality and sin into […]
Nature and the environment play a big role in American life. A solid majority of U.S. adults across the religious spectrum say that being outdoors and experiencing nature are sources of meaning in their lives, and most people say they have taken part in an outdoor activity such as hiking or visiting a nature spot […]
Though younger people tend to be more internationally oriented than older adults, they differ from one another over how they want their country to engage with the world.
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