deal with extreme weather It’s raising concerns for some Americans who think they may eventually be forced to move from where they live because of it.
53 percent of Americans report that they have experienced what they perceive as extreme weather in recent years, and nearly half of them are at least somewhat concerned. They may need to be moved Because of this they are from the area where they live now.
And a large majority of those who have experienced extreme weather can see them Climate change They consider climate change as a major cause of concern and urgent need to be addressed.
While many Americans across geographic regions report some experience with extreme weather in their local area, people in the West are more likely to say they’ve dealt with these events in recent years.
What do people think contributes to extreme weather?
What people see as the main causes for extreme weather is tied to people’s own personal experiences.
We find that a similar majority of Americans view climate change and natural weather patterns as the main factors contributing to extreme weather in the United States, less attributing these events to being part of God’s plan.
Looking back at these numbers, we see that one’s personal experience with extreme weather. Most of those who reported personally dealing with extreme weather attributed such events to climate change. But most people who have not experienced extreme weather believe that such weather events are just part of the natural pattern.
Political partisanship also plays a role. Democrats—most of whom see climate change as an urgent problem—are nearly three times more likely than Republicans to say climate change is a major factor contributing to extreme weather.
And Republicans — most of whom don’t see climate change as an urgent problem — are much more likely than Democrats to cite natural weather patterns as a major factor contributing to extreme weather.
Among Republicans, however, those who have recently experienced extreme weather are more likely than those who have not to cite climate change as a major factor contributing to extreme weather in the United States.
This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 1,582 US adult residents interviewed between April 14-18, 2023. The sample was weighted by sex, age, race, and education based on the US Census American Community Survey. Current demographic surveys, as well as 2020 presidential polls. The margin of error is ±3.5 points.
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