Only 17% of American adults believe climate change will impact where they live: Gallup poll

A recent poll has found that Americans are not all that afraid of climate change, and that only 17 percent of adults think it will impact where they live.

CNN's senior data reporter Harry Enten appeared in a segment on Thursday where he displayed data from a Gallup poll showing that Americans are not that overly concerned with climate change or about becoming the victim of a natural disaster.

“Look at this, all adults, it’s just 17 percent. It’s just 17 percent. The GOP is 6 percent, Independents is 16 percent, even Democrats here, it’s just 27 percent of Democrats who say that climate change will make it harder to stay in our area,” Enten said. 

Those who "often [or] sometimes worry" that they will be victims of a natural disaster has also decreased, from 38 percent to 32 percent since 2006. 

The polling from Gallup showed that in 2020, 46 percent of Americans are “greatly worried about climate change," and in 2025, that number has dropped off to 40 percent. 

“Are Americans concerned of climate change, and the answer is, Americans aren’t afraid of climate change,” Enten said in the segment. “Climate activists have not successfully made the case to the American people. I want you to take a look here. ‘Greatly worried about climate change.’ We have data going all the way back since 1989, and look at it then, it was 39 percent. In 2000, it was 40 percent. 2020, 46 percent. In 2025, 40 percent, which is the exact same percentage as back in 2000."

"Despite all of these horrible weather events, the percentage of Americans that are greatly worried about climate change has stayed pretty gosh darned consistent," Enten added.

The news comes on the heels of the flash floods in Texas on July 4, which have killed over 100 people, with several Democrat political figures placing some blame on climate change.