The Environmental Attitudes and Behavior Program explores public attitudes about the environment and how such attitudes translate into personal and political decisionmaking.

The program seeks to address three primary questions:

1) Which environmental terms and themes resonate with individuals?
2) How is the environment used as an issue in political and social marketing campaigns
3) How do attitudes and behaviors shift with time and context?

Each element contributes to a coherent picture of attitudes on environmental issues, and the goal of the program is to inform policymakers and NGOs on how their constituents value the environment and to provide tools for improved communication and better engagement.

The capstone project, led by Tony Leiserowitz, is the ongoing Global Warming's Six Americas study. Leiserowitz has constructed a nationally representative survey panel of more than 2,200 American adults and is conducting extensive research on American climate change knowledge, attitudes, policy preferences, and behavior.

The study has found that the American public does not speak with a single voice on climate change and has identified six distinct segments of the American public that each respond to this issue in very different ways for very different reasons, and thus require tailored educational materials and communications to help each better engage with the issue.

For more information on Tony Leiserowitz's work, visit the the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication website.

Downloads:
American Teens' Knowledge of of Climate Change (April 2011)
Knowledge of Climate Change Among Visitors to Science & Technology Museums (February 2011)
Knowledge of Climate Change Across Global Warming’s Six Americas (January 2011)
Americans' Knowledge of Climate Change (October 2010)
Global Warming's Six Americas (June 2010)
Public Support for Climate & Energy Policies (May 2011)

For a complete list of reports, go here.