A Yale and George Mason University survey polled 25,000 people across the nation to gauge public opinion on climate change.
The results are mapped down to state, congressional district, metro area and county levels.
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Yale Climate Opinion Maps reveal how Americans’ climate change beliefs, risk perceptions and policy support vary, depending on where they happen to live.
Of those living in the U.S., almost three quarters (72%) believe global warming is happening but only slightly more than half (57%) are convinced that humans are to blame.
People across the nation are convinced more than ever that climate change is happening, compared to 2015 when only 63% of Americans believed in global warming.
Around the greater Jacksonville area and southern Georgia, the perception that the planet is warming is far below the national average. Most people surrounding Duval County do not believe humans are the cause of climate change.
These results closely match political landscapes around the country, but overall those along the coast and in academic cities have a higher belief in climate change and perceive greater weather-related risks from it.
The survey shows on average that 72% of Americans think global warming is happening, which is also exactly in line with the average in Duval County. The 2020 latest YCOM model estimates, however, show that only 55% of people in Pierce County, Georgia, agree.
Opinions vary widely depending on where people live. For example, Waycross is nestled in Georgia’s second lowest survey area, yet Alachua County, home to the University of Florida, has the highest percentage of people who agree on a warming planet in North Florida.
The maps are estimates generated from a statistical model based on actual survey responses combined with U.S. Census demographic data.
Researchers say this approach is the most efficient method to achieve county by county granular estimates, but it also leaves some variation in accuracy about ±8 percentage points at the county levels.