(The Hill) — Roughly 80 percent of Americans said they have recently experienced extreme weather, according to a new poll.
The survey, released Friday from The Associated Press/NORC Research Center, found that over the last five years, about half of the public reported being affected by extreme heat waves or cold weather. Roughly 70 percent also say they consider these weather events to be influenced by climate change.
This feeling varies across party lines, however. Nearly 90 percent of Democrats believe climate change plays a role while less than half of the Republican respondents, 43 percent, said the same thing.
Overall, nearly 70 percent of adults believe in climate change, with 93 percent of Democrats and 51 percent of Republicans saying so, poll results show.
Still, few of those polled say climate change has impacted their day-to-day lives. Only 26 percent of adults said the phenomenon has affected them personally in a major way. Another 31 percent said it likely will not have a sizable impact in the future.
Nearly six out of 10 survey respondents said climate change is mostly or entirely caused by human activity. Just 30 percent said natural environmental changes are equally to blame.
There is also broad support for government assistance in the case of natural disasters and extreme weather events, the survey shows.
Six in 10 adults prefer the federal government offering financial support, including preemptive funds to better prepare for weather events and retroactive aid to assist with rebuilding efforts.
The majority of adults are also concerned about the rising costs associated with climate change and weather events. Nearly 60 percent are extremely worried about rising property insurance premiums for homes, while about half are anxious about the increasing costs of energy, emergency response and infrastructure, the survey found.
Republicans are less likely to be concerned about these costs than Democrats, but both parties are most concerned about the increasing insurance premiums. About 44 percent of Republicans while 73 percent of Democrats say insurance costs are an extreme point of concern, per the poll.
The nationwide survey was conducted between Feb. 6 and Feb. 10 among 1,112 adults. The margin of error was 4.1 percentage points.
