A third of Americans report dreaming about climate change

Extreme heat and uncommon weather events have gripped much of the United States this summer—weather that many experts argue is the result of intensifying climate change. In an exclusive poll run on behalf of Time Magazine, The Harris Poll surveyed a representative sample of 1,009 Americans to investigate whether climate change as a phenomenon is appearing in people’s dreams and, if so, how often, and how they feel about it.

Here are some of the key findings that emerged from the self-reported data:

Climate change has crept into a third of Americans’ dreams.

One in three (36%) Americans report having dreamt about climate change at least once before. There are interesting divergences among various demographics of dreamers, such as men more frequently than women reporting to have dreamt about climate change. Two in five (43%) men have dreamt about climate change, compared to only 29% of women.

Other constituencies with higher rates of self-reported dreams about climate change include:

• Gen Z and millennials (57% each, compared to 35% of Gen X and 14% of baby boomers),
• Employed people (47%, versus 19% of unemployed people),
• People of color (50%, compared to 28% of white Americans),
• Residents in the West Census Region (44%, compared to 35% in the Northeast, 32% in the Midwest, and 34% in the South), and
• Those earning less than $50,000 annually in household income (43%, versus 35% of those making $50,000 to $99,999 and 33% of those making more than $100,000).

Of those who report to have dreamt about climate change, the most cited images that people recall from those dreams are extreme changes to weather such as droughts, heat waves, floods (46%); natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, and earthquakes (44%); and family (33%).

It’s a mixed bag of emotions felt among dreamers.

When asked how positively or negatively they’d describe the emotions associated with their dream (or most recent dream if they have had multiple) that featured climate change, two in five (43%) report feeling positive emotions, with one in three (33%) feeling negative emotions, one in five (21%) feeling neither, and 3% not sure.

Of the emotions or themes people remember from their self-reported dreams about climate change, the most cited are stress (37%), fear (37%), and hope (30%). Others cited include excitement (27%), happiness (26%), sadness (26%), action (26%), curiosity (24%), calmness (24%), escape (20%), and anger (20%).

This survey was conducted online in the United States by The Harris Poll from June 2nd, 2023 to June 5th, 2023 among 1,009 American adults (aged 18+). Figures were weighted where necessary to align with actual proportions within the national population. For additional information, please contact The Harris Poll’s Central Insights research team.