A new poll from Data for Progress reveals that 61% of likely American voters believe extreme weather events have become more frequent over the past five years. The survey, shared exclusively with the Guardian, includes 72% of Democrats, 63% of Independents, and 46% of Republicans expressing this view.
Heatwaves top the list of climate-linked events
Researchers asked participants whether specific forms of extreme weather are being worsened by climate change. Majorities linked climate change to worsening wildfires (64%), droughts (63%), flooding and flash flooding (62%), hurricanes (59%), and severe thunderstorms and hailstorms (59%). Heatwaves topped the list, with 67% saying climate change is making them worse, including 48% of Republicans—the highest share for any extreme weather event surveyed.
Grace Adcox, senior climate strategist at Data for Progress, said the findings indicate that heat could be a key entry point for bipartisan climate conversations. “Extreme heat happens to have the biggest footprint in the American context compared to some of these other types of extreme weather,” she said.
Public ahead of politicians, says Senator Whitehouse
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, who has long criticized Democrats for avoiding climate talk, said the data “adds to the mountain of evidence that the public is way ahead of the politicians on the dire consequences of climate change.” He added, “Climate hushers who ignore this righteous fight should take note.”
Misconceptions about natural cycles persist
Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, noted the poll’s findings are “very consistent” with Yale’s surveys showing Americans increasingly linking extreme weather to climate change. However, Jennifer Marlon, a senior research scientist at Yale, cautioned that many Americans still think warming is due to natural cycles. A spring Yale survey found 27% believe changes are mostly natural.
Overwhelming support for worker heat protections
The poll also found that 88% of likely voters favor policies requiring employers to provide heat protections like water, shade, breaks, and air conditioning. Only 7% oppose such measures. Jessica E. Martinez, executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, said, “These findings send a powerful message: protecting workers from dangerous heat isn’t a partisan issue.” She noted that the public would support a federal heat standard, which has stalled under the Trump administration.
