Most Americans Aren't Convinced Humans Are Causing Climate Change, New Data Shows

BreakingBusinessMost Americans Aren't Convinced Humans Are Causing Climate Change, New Data ShowsByMary Whitfill Roeloffs,Forbes Staff. Mary Roeloffs is a Forbes breaking news reporter covering pop culture.Follow AuthorMay 28, 2026, 04:07pm EDTToplineLess than half of Americans believe the Earth is warming as a direct result of human activity, new data from Pew Research shows, and 12% of Americans don't believe the Earth is warming at all. A man on a rooftop looks at approaching flames of the Springs fire on May 3, 2013 near Camarillo, California.Getty ImagesKey FactsPew released new data Thursday that shows only 48% of Americans believe climate change is the result of human activity—a view shared by a vast majority of scientists—and fewer people believe it now than when the same question was asked in 2019 and 2022. The latest data shows 22% of people believe the warming of the Earth is due to natural climate patterns, 17% say they aren't sure what's causing it and 12% say they don't think there's solid evidence the Earth is warming at all. Most Democrats (75%) who responded to the Pew survey said climate change is the result of human activity, while Republicans had much more varied views: 21% said it was because of human activity, 37% said it was a naturally occurring phenomena, 19% said they aren't sure and 23% don't think evidence supports the warming of the Earth. The Pew survey also found that the more educated a person was, the more likely they were to believe climate change is the fault of humans—62% of people with post-graduate college education believe humans are causing the Earth to warm, while only 56% of college graduates felt the same, 45% of people with some college education believe it and only 40% of people with high school diplomas or less education think humans are at fault. The majority of Americans (68%) do concede that extreme weather events are happening more often in the U.S., though Democrats (85%) are...