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Americans fall into six distinct groups regarding their climate change beliefs, attitudes and behaviors, according to a new report, “Global Warming’s Six Americas,” by researchers at Yale and George Mason universities. The researchers, who surveyed 2,129 American adults last fall, found that these “six Americas” include:

The Alarmed (18 percent of American adults) are the most convinced that global warming is happening, caused by humans and poses a serious and urgent threat to people in the United States and future generations. They rate global warming as a very high national priority and strongly support a variety of climate change policies, such as regulating CO2 as a pollutant.

The Concerned (33 percent) believe global warming is a serious problem and support an active national response, but, compared to the Alarmed, rate it as personally less important and have taken fewer actions to save energy at home or on the road. They do, however, express a willingness to make purchasing decisions based on whether companies are enacting or opposing steps to reduce global warming.

The Cautious (19 percent) are somewhat convinced that global warming is happening, but say they could change their minds. They have only thought a little about the issue, do not consider it personally important and tend not to worry about it, largely because they believe the impacts won’t occur for at least 35 years.

The Disengaged (12 percent) are not at all sure global warming is happening and have not thought much about the issue. Only a third believes that global warming is caused by human activities, and they overwhelmingly say they simply don’t know whether global warming will harm future generations.

The Doubtful (11 percent) say they don’t know whether global warming is happening or not, but if it is, it is caused by natural environmental changes and won’t harm people in the United States for at least 100 years.

The Dismissive (7 percent) are sure that global warming is not happening, thus they do not worry about it or support most policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They do, however, support several policies that help individuals save energy, like tax rebates for people who purchase energy efficient vehicles or solar panels.

“When we talk about ‘the American public’ and its views on global warming, that’s a misnomer,” said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale F&ES Project on Climate Change and a co-author of the report. “There is no single American voice on this issue.”

The six groups, however, sometimes actually behave in similar ways, albeit for different reasons, said Leiserowitz. For instance, the respondents in each group support actions that save them money, with the Dismissive just as likely to have made energy efficiency improvements to their homes as the Alarmed. Likewise, all six groups support rebates for the purchase of solar panels and fuel-efficient cars, including the Dismissive.

“Too many climate-change education and awareness campaigns have been like throwing darts in a dark room,” said Leiserowitz. “Climate change is ultimately a human problem. If we want to constructively engage Americans in the solutions, we have to first know our audience.”

The full report can be found at environment.yale.edu/uploads/6Americas2009.pdf.

The study was conducted by the Yale F&ES Project on Climate Change and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. It was funded by the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, The Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation, the Surdna Foundation, the 11th Hour Project, The Pacific Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.