Recent psychological research on public opinion regarding climate change has shown how wrong Americans can be about one another’s beliefs. For example: What percentage of Americans is at least somewhat concerned about climate change? Recently, a representative group of more than 6,000 Americans answered this question. On average, they guessed that less than half of Americans—only 43 percent—worry about climate change. In their eyes, a clear majority of Americans is unconcerned. This is not true, however. In actuality, 66 percent of Americans report worrying about climate change.

This massive underestimate also extends to Americans’ perceptions of support for various climate policies aimed at slowing climate change. The survey, fielded by an interuniversity team of psychologists led by the psychologist Gregg Sparkman, asked people to estimate the amount of support among Americans for a carbon tax, mandates that electricity be generated by renewable energy, wind and solar infrastructure on public lands, and support for the Green New Deal. Average guesses for support of these policies ranged from 37 to 43 percent. In reality, 66 to 80 percent of Americans support these policies. The researchers noted in their findings that supporters of climate policies “outnumber opponents two to one, while Americans falsely perceive nearly the opposite to be true.” Americans are living in a “false social reality,” they concluded, when it comes to climate-change opinions.