---
title: "Poll: Americans are Connecting the Dots"
date: 2012-04-18T16:53:53Z
modified: 2012-04-18T16:54:08Z
permalink: "https://350.org/poll-americans-are-connecting-dots/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: "A new poll from Yale University shows widening and solid majorities of people in America attribute recent extreme weather events to climate change. The results show that as more and more people are impacted by extreme weather - 35% of Americans according to the poll - they are also beginning to better understand the science of climate change, and embracing solutions.Here is a key quote from the New York Times' coverage of the poll:&nbsp;The survey, the most detailed to date on the public response to weather extremes, comes atop other polling showing a recent uptick in concern about climate change. Read together, the polls suggest that direct experience of erratic weather may be convincing some people that the problem is no longer just a vague and distant threat.“Most people in the country are looking at everything that’s happened; it just seems to be one disaster after another after another,” said&nbsp;Anthony A. Leiserowitz&nbsp;of&nbsp;Yale University, one of the researchers who commissioned the new poll. “People are starting to connect the dots.”On May 5th, 350.org will be leading a global day of action to call attention to the impacts of climate change that are already under way. Click here to find or start an action near you.&nbsp;"
wpid: 29181
---

A new poll from Yale University shows widening and solid majorities of people in America attribute recent extreme weather events to climate change. The results show that as more and more people are impacted by extreme weather – 35% of Americans according to the poll – they are also beginning to better understand the science of climate change, and embracing solutions.

Here is a key quote from the [New York Times’ coverage](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/science/earth/americans-link-global-warming-to-extreme-weather-poll-says.html) of the poll:

The survey, the most detailed to date on the public response to weather extremes, comes atop other polling showing a recent uptick in concern about climate change. Read together, the polls suggest that direct experience of erratic weather may be convincing some people that the problem is no longer just a vague and distant threat.

“Most people in the country are looking at everything that’s happened; it just seems to be one disaster after another after another,” said [Anthony A. Leiserowitz](https://environment.yale.edu/profile/leiserowitz/ "Web site for Dr. Leiserowitz") of [Yale University](https://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/y/yale_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org "More articles about Yale University."), one of the researchers who commissioned the new poll. “People are starting to connect the dots.”

On May 5th, 350.org will be leading a global day of action to call attention to the impacts of climate change that are already under way. [Click here to find or start an action](https://climatedots.org) near you.