In our last post we revealed that a large majority of respondents to our Climate Adaption Surveys feel both well informed on the topic (80%) and are concerned (76%) about climate change. But why do they feel this way? What signs have they noticed?

We conduct Climate Adaption Surveys as part of every Climate Action Plan we develop for client communities. To get an idea of what people are thinking about climate change we compiled data from 8 of our more recent community surveys. This is not a scientifically conducted research study with statistically significant results so, as a result, we anticipate some participant bias in the answers. But we think you’ll agree with us that the information is very interesting.

People notice higher temps and more rain - and are personally impacted by it

Participants were asked “Have you noticed any of the following?” and given a list of 10 indicators often associated with climate change (the list is in the chart below).

As you see, the most observed indicators are weather related. Not surprisingly, there are consistencies among the most chosen answers. Observing “Change in general weather patterns” and “Season shift” are probably related. Likewise, “Heavier rainfall” and “Flooding” clearly are connected. We do find it interesting that the percentage of respondents selecting “Longer periods without rain” is only 10% lower (approximately) than “Flooding”. We feel the close ranking of these contrasting weather events indicate the volatile – not to mention unpredictable and scary - impact climate change is having on our planet.

More air conditioning, property damage, sneezing and scratching

We wanted to know if these indicators were more than just observations. We asked the survey participants “Have any of the following effects of climate change personally impacted you?”, and they were given another list of 10 options (see chart below).

These results are closely correlated to the observed climate change indicators.

· 66% of all respondents noticing higher temperatures and 60% using air conditioners more

· 51% noticing flooding, and 37% experiencing flood damage

· 28.5% noticing a longer season for fleas & ticks, and 32.8% having increased contact with them.

Consistent Findings

It’s gratifying to know that our results are consistent with formal studies finding that people notice, are concerned, and impacted by Climate Change. One example is an August, 2022 article in Scientific American. It references the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication showing that 66% to 80% of people in the U.S. support major climate mitigation policies (range results from which policy the questions referenced).

Dangerous Misperceptions

While a clear majority of the U.S. population think something needs to be done about climate change, one of the dangerous misperceptions preventing action is that people think they’re in a minority - that most other people don’t care. The same study shows respondents believe only 37% to 43% of other Americans support these policies.

They go on to point out that “such a false impression can lead to a cycle of collective self-silencing on the topic of climate change and to decisions not to take any action to call for climate mitigation policies”.

paleBLUEdot offers to develop communications plans for our client communities, striving to provide clear evidence about why people should participate in their community’s CAP. But, based on this research, the problem isn’t just getting people to believe in the dangers of climate change, but to get them to believe they’re far from alone. This creates opportunities to enhance our communications strategy and messaging. Because it seems most people are already convinced about the impact of climate change, in order for them to take action we need to persuade them that they’re part of the majority in their community.

We will dive into strategies and tactics to address this misperception in future blog posts.

The paleBLUEdot team provides a wide range of expert consultant services supporting community resilience, including Climate Action Planning, Sustainability Consulting, and Renewable Energy Planning.

Paul, founder of Nicholas Marketing, supports paleBLUEdot’s marketing and communications planning and implementation efforts.

Banner photo by KSTP via Flickr