Public opinion about climate change was reviewed in the National Science Board's Science and Engineering Indicators (PDF) 2016.
Climate change, according to the NSB's report, "remains a central, and often divisive, environmental issue for the American public." The report highlighted two points:
- Slightly more than half of Americans say they worry about climate change, a percentage that is relatively low compared with surveys conducted since 1989. Fewer than 4 in 10 think it will pose a serious threat to their own way of life.
- Only about 6 in 10 Americans believe there is scientific consensus on the fact that climate change is occurring.
A variety of reports and commentaries on previous polls about public opinion about climate science is available on NCSE's website.