Fans of Nature

Americans are big fans of nature. Nearly every adult (98 percent) agrees with the statement, "I take notice of the natural elements around me (trees, water, wildlife, etc.)," according to the General Social Survey. Almost as many (96 percent) agree that they "have easy access to natural environments, such as public parks, gardens or trails."

Getting out into nature is another matter. When the public is asked whether it agrees or disagrees with the statement, "I spend as much time as I would like in natural environments," more than one in three (35 percent) disagrees. Millions of Americans would like to spend more time in natural environments. Busy with career and family, Millennials and Gen Xers are most likely to say they do not spend as much time as they would like communing with nature.

"I spend as much time as I would like in natural environments" (percent disagreeing by generation)
Millennials: 38%
Gen Xers: 40%
Boomers: 30%
Older: 25%

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2018 General Social Survey

Global Warming: 51% Are Concerned Believers

The threat of global warming is making inroads into the consciousness of the American public. In the latest Gallup environmental survey, 51 percent of adults aged 18 or older are what Gallup calls Concerned Believers. Gallup defines this group as "highly worried about global warming, think it will pose a serious threat in their lifetime, believe it's the result of human activity, and think news reports about it are accurate or underestimate the problem." The 51 percent of 2019 is not statistically different from what Gallup has measured in each year since 2016, but it is significantly higher than the level recorded in the years prior to 2016, when it ranged from 33 to 39 percent.

Another 30 percent of Americans are what Gallup calls the Mixed Middle, and 20 percent are Cool Skeptics. The attitudes of Cool Skeptics are the opposite of Concerned Believers. Gallup describes them this way: "They worry little or not at all about global warming, do not think it will pose a serious threat in their lifetime, think it's attributable to natural environmental changes and think the news exaggerates the problem."

Those most likely to be Concerned Believers are women (55 percent), 18-to-29-year-olds (67 percent), college graduates (60 percent), nonwhites (60 percent), and Democrats (77 percent). Those most likely to be Cool Skeptics are men (25 percent), people aged 50 to 64 (26 percent), non-Hispanic Whites (27 percent), and Republicans (52 percent).

Source: Gallup, Americans as Concerned as Ever about Global Warming

Americans Are More Afraid, Survey Finds

Americans are increasingly afraid. This is one of the most striking findings from the 2018 Chapman University Survey of American Fears. This year as in past years, the number one fear—mentioned by the largest share of the public—is fear of corrupt government officials. But the percentage of Americans who say government corruption scares them has climbed, rising from 61 to 74 percent between 2016 and 2018.

Corruption is not the only thing Americans are increasingly frightened about, Chapman University reports. Many things are scaring them more. In fact, all of the top 10 fears in 2018 scare more than half the public. In 2016, most of the top 10 fears scared only about one-third of the public.

Top 10 fears of 2018 (percent saying they are afraid)
1. Corrupt government officials: 74%
2. Pollution of oceans rivers, and lakes: 62%
3. Pollution of drinking water: 61%
4. Not enough money for the future: 57%
5. Someone you love will become seriously ill: 57%
6. People you love dying: 56%
7. Air pollution: 55%
8. Extinction of plant and animal species: 54%
9. Global warming and climate change: 53%
10. High medical bills: 53%

Another trend Chapman University sees in the list of fears is the rise of environmental concerns. Five of the top 10 fears of 2018 are environmental. In 2016, the number of environmental concerns in the top 10 list was zero.

Source: Chapman University Survey of American Fears, America's Top Fears 2018

Generation Gap in Attitudes toward Environment

The 59 percent majority of Americans think "stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost," according to a Pew Research Center survey. Only 34 percent say laws and regulations "cost too many jobs and hurt economy." Young adults are most likely to support environmental regulation...

Environmental regulations are worth the cost
Aged 18 to 29: 70%
Aged 30 to 49: 63%
Aged 50 to 64: 53%
Aged 65-plus: 47%

Source: Pew Research Center, Most Americans Favor Stricter Environmental Laws and Regulations

Attitudes toward Climate Change

The American public is divided in its attitude toward climate change...

46% believe the earth's climate is getting warmer due to human activity
25% believe the earth's climate is getting warmer, but not due to human activity
26% do not believe the earth's climate is getting warmer

Source: Public Religion Research Institute, Believers, Sympathizers, and Skeptics: Why Americans Are Conflicted about Climate Change, Environmental Policy, and Science

Surviving Global Warming

Since 2012 was the hottest year on record in the United States, it's fortunate we humans are so good at adapting to changing environments. We are already adapting to global warming, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research analysis. The NBER study examines mortality rates associated with hot days (defined as a temperature exceeding 90 degrees) and finds a sharp decline in heat-related mortality rates over the past century.

Between 1960 and 2004, hot days resulted in about 600 premature deaths per year in the United States, much less than the 3,600 deaths that would have occurred given the heat-related mortality rates of the 1900-1959 time period. Only one thing explains the decline, say the researchers: air conditioning, a technological adaptation that will help "mitigate the temperature related mortality impact of climate change."

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, Adapting to Climate Change: The Remarkable Decline in the U.S> Temperature-Mortality Relationship over the 20th Century, NBER Working Paper   18692, ($5)

How Weather Affects Buying

We just can't help ourselves. Whatever we are thinking, doing, and feeling at the moment holds great power over our decisions. That's the finding from a National Bureau of Economic Research study of how the weather at the time of purchase influences which car or house we buy.

It's hard to argue with the analysis, which is based on data from more than 40 million vehicle sales and 4 million house sales, comparing the type of car or features of the house purchased to the weather at the time of purchase. The researchers find that "the choice to purchase a convertible, a 4-wheel drive, or a vehicle that is black in color is highly dependent on the weather at the time of purchase." Similarly buyers are more likely to choose a house with a swimming pool in the summer than in the winter.

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, Projection Bias in the Car and Housing Markets, NBER Working Paper No. 18212 ($)

Fun in the Great Outdoors

The five most popular outdoor recreational activities, ranked by the number of people aged 6 or older participating in the activity in 2011 (in 000s), and percent change in number participating since 2008...

1. Running/jogging: 50,713 (+23%)
2. Bicycling (paved surface): 40,349 (+6%)
3. Fishing (freshwater): 38,868 (-4%)
4. Hiking (day): 34,491 (+6%)
5. Camping (except RV and backpacking): 32,925 (-2%)

Source: Outdoor Foundation, Outdoor Recreation Participation: Topline Report 2012

Not So Green

Percentage of Americans who say the following statements describe them very well or completely...

I am concerned about the planet we are leaving behind for future generations: 34%
I am environmentally conscious: 27%
I am green: 17% 

Source: Harris Interactive, Fewer Americans "Thinking Green"

The Problem with High Ceilings

Houses are larger than they used to be and this is a long-term problem for energy consumption, says the Energy Information Administration in a new report. Homes built in the 1970s and 1980s averaged less than 1,800 square feet. Homes built in the 2000s averaged 2,465 square feet.

"Square footage typically stays fixed over the life of a home and it is a characteristic that is expensive, even impractical to alter to reduce energy consumption," notes the EIA in its report.

Even worse for energy consumption are the high ceilings in many newly built homes. The percentage of new homes with ceilings higher than the traditional 8 feet grew from 17 percent in the 1970s to the 52 percent majority in the 2000s.

Source: Energy Information Administration, The Impact of Increasing Home Size on Energy Demand

Nuclear Power: Benefits vs Risks

Percentage of people who think the benefits of nuclear power outweigh the risks, by generation...

Millennials: 34%
Gen Xers: 34%
Boomers: 43%
Older Americans: 53%

Source: Harris Interactive, One Year Post Fukushima, Americans Are Divided about the Risks of Nuclear Power

Homes Heated by Electricity

Number (and percent) of American homes using electricity as their primary heating fuel...

2010: 40,557,000 (35.4%)
1950:      293,000 (  0.7%)

Source: Census Bureau, 1950 census and 2010 American Community Survey

Remembrance of Winters Past

Now that one of the mildest winters on record is almost over, the time has come to wax nostalgic for those wild winters of our past. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has done the analysis, examining the Current Population Survey to identify the top weather-related work absences since 1977. These are the events--some named and some not--that resulted in the largest percentage of the labor force missing work, along with the percent who stayed home...

February 2010: Snowmageddon (4.8%)
January 1996: Blizzard of '96 (10.1%)
February 1994: Snow and ice storms (6.1%)
January 1982: Extreme cold spell (9.5%)
January 1978: Heavy snowfall (5.0%)
January 1977: Extreme cold spell (6.2%)

Outside of winter, the only other weather event that caused a noticeable spike in work absences was Hurricane Floyd in September 1999, when 2.7 percent missed work.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Issues in Labor Statistics, Work Absences Due to Bad Weather: Analysis of Data from 1977 to 2010

Private Property

Percentage of the 2.3 billion acres of land in the United States that is privately owned: 60%.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Major Uses of Land in the United States, 2007, Economic Information Bulletin, December 2011

It's a Big Country

Percentage of the 2.3 billion acres of land in the United States that is forestland, cropland, rangeland, swamps, marshes, deserts, bare rock, national and state parks, wilderness areas, and rural residential: 97%.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Major Uses of Land in the United States, 2007, Economic Information Bulletin, December 2011

Air Conditioning by Region

Fully 87 percent of homes in the United States are now equipped with air conditioning--either central air or window units. Here is the percentage of households with air conditioning by region in 1980 and 2009:

	2009	1980
Northeast	86	49
Midwest	91	58
South	98	74
West	65	36

Source: Residential Energy Consumption Survey, Air conditioning in nearly 100 million U.S. homes

10 Facts about the Average American

1. The average American has a job (58%).
2. The average American makes $735/week.
3. The average American has employer-provided health insurance (56%).
4. The average American has been to college (56%), but does not have a degree.
5. The average American used the Internet today (59%).
6. The average American lives in one of the top 50 metropolitan areas (54%).
7. The average American was born in-state (52%).
8. The average American believes in God without a doubt (59%).
9. The average American believes in evolution (56%).
10. The average American often or always recycles (64%).

Source: American Consumers Newsletter, 50 Facts about the Average American
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Green Weenies

Percentage of Americans who think environmental threats are exaggerated: 36%.

Source: General Social Survey

More Spending, Please

When presented with a list of problems and asked whether the United States spends too little on them, about the right amount, or too much, the majority of the public says we should spend more on...

Improving the nation's education system: 73.9%
Assistance to the poor: 67.5%
Improving and protecting the nation's health: 60.3%
Improving and protecting the environment: 60.2%
Halting the rising crime rate: 59.5%
Social Security: 57.3%
Dealing with drug addiction: 56.4%
Assistance for child care: 51.7%
Drug rehabilitation: 51.6%

Source: Trends in National Spending Priorities, Tom W. Smith, National Opinion Research Center

Who Cares about Polar Bears?

Global warming could cause the extinction of the polar bear, but do Americans really care? Maybe not so much.

When asked how much it would bother them if global warming caused polar bears to become extinct, only 46 percent of the public says it would bother them "a great deal," according to the General Social Survey. An almost equally large 44 percent say the extinction of polar bears would bother them only "some" or "a little," and 10 percent say it would not bother them at all.

It takes something more personal to alarm the American public. When asked whether it would bother them a great deal if global warming caused sea levels to rise more than 20 feet, a much larger 71 percent of the public says yes. No one wants to give up their week at the beach.

When the General Social Survey probed the public's attitude toward five global warming problems, the rise in sea level was the issue that concerned Americans the most. Number two was the melting of the northern ice cap. The extinction of polar bears ranked a lowly fourth, behind the threat to the Inuit way of life. Worries about arctic seals came in last.

The General Social Survey also asked the public how much influence environmental scientists should have in formulating global warming policy. The results are disturbing: only 49 percent of Americans think environmental scientists should have a "great deal" of influence on global warming policy.