Americans doubt worst climate damage can be avoided

About six-in-ten Americans say countries around the world, including the U.S., will not do enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change. This growing pessimism is driven by Democrats.

1. Frame 1Pew puts 3,524 U.S. adults on a federal climate policy scorecard as six in ten say governments will not do enough.
2. Frame 2The Democratic column shifted hardest: 51% expected failure in 2022; 69% do in 2026.
3. Frame 3Only one quarter of adults now expect international actors to avoid the worst effects.
4. Frame 4The policy backdrop changed too: Trump withdrew from climate agreements and weakened power-plant and fuel-efficiency limits.
5. Frame 5Among adults seeing climate harm, half expect everyday-life changes; only two in ten expect technology to solve most problems.
6. Frame 6Next test: whether federal rules, technology hopes, and daily-life changes can close the expectation gap.