In the past year, 72% of Americans say they have lived through at least one extreme weather event, including floods, heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and rising sea levels. That’s according to a new report from the Pew Research Center, which surveyed 8,638 U.S. adults from May 13 to 19, 2024.
Pew found 80% of people surveyed think human-caused climate change is a contributor to extreme weather. Moreover, 70% say they have also suffered hardships because of a recent extreme event, ranging from anxiety to property damage to higher utility bills and insurance.
That points to why most people (73%) support stricter building codes in high-risk areas, said report co-author Alec Tyson.
But, he added, “If you say, what about banning construction in areas at high risk of extreme weather? Support goes down to 43%. What about this idea of requiring people to move out from high-risk areas? That’s a very unpopular idea.”
A popular idea with a sizeable share of Americans is the government should do more to help areas vulnerable to extreme weather. More than half of Americans surveyed feel the federal government should pay to help communities rebuild after wildfires, hurricanes or floods, and 40% say the government should provide support to pay for rising home insurance costs.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
