Poll suggests US adults are facing increased strain from extreme heat

xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoResort guests cool off in a wave pool at Mandalay Bay Beach in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 31 [Ethan Miller/Getty Images, AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff and The Associated PressPublished On 6 Aug 20266 Aug 2026A new poll of adults in the United States has revealed that more are feeling a personal impact from extreme heat, but a smaller number believe in climate change.

The poll, released by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research on Thursday, was the result of a survey of 1,165 Americans in late July.

According to the survey, 66 percent of Americans believe climate change is happening, a slight decline from the 73 percent who expressed a similar sentiment in September 2025.

About 17 percent said they are not sure if climate change is happening, while 15 percent indicated it is not happening at all.

By contrast, more US adults in this survey were likely to say that extreme heat has either had a “major impact” or “minor impact” on their everyday activities, as opposed to none at all.

Thirty percent of this year’s survey participants, for instance, said extreme heat exerted a “major impact” on their outdoor activities, compared to 21 percent in July 2024.

The number of respondents who said their vacation and travel plans experienced a “major impact” from the heat also jumped from eight to 15 percent.

Exercise routines, sleep patterns and commutes were also identified as aspects of daily life increasingly affected by rising temperatures.

Much of that shift was observed among those who live in the Midwest or on the West Coast. In the West, for instance, the rate of respondents who described heat as having a “major impact” on their outdoor activities was 35 percent, higher than the national average.

Democratic respondents were also more likely than Republican ones to express that the heat had affected their plans.

Climatologists at Virginia Tech University have estimated that, as of May, roughly 60 percent of the US was in a state of drought, with 20 percent of the country facing extreme drought conditions.

Among the hardest hit areas are Colorado and the Southeast, near Florida and Georgia. Virginia Tech climatologists also noted that the La Nina climate pattern earlier this year had a drying effect on the Pacific Northwest, an area typically known for wetter weather.

With the US baking under several heat domes so far this year, experts warn that the higher temperatures could increase the risks of wildfire, threaten crops and impose excessive pressure on public infrastructure, such as energy grids.

Extreme temperatures, for example, often result in consumers using more energy for air conditioning during hotter seasons — and conversely, during colder months, cranking up the heat.

While extreme weather is only one factor that influences electricity bills, rising household energy costs could become a sticking point for politicians during this year’s tense midterm election season.

In Thursday’s poll, about 81 percent of Americans said their electricity bills have seen an impact from extreme heat over the last year, up from 69 percent in July 2024.

“I feel like my utility costs probably doubled in the last three or four years,” Daemien Williams, a bridge inspector who identifies as a Democrat, told The Associated Press. “I do look at my bills pretty in detail and see that the kilowatts and the usage is actually up, not just the price that they’re charging for it.”

Climate change, driven largely by human activities, is considered a major threat across the globe.

Scientists calculated that Earth’s average temperature last year made 2025 one of the three hottest years on record, following records set in 2024 and 2023.

Excessive heat is considered one of the top reasons for weather-related illness and death.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that more than 1,220 deaths each year can be connected to heat as a contributing or underlying cause.

That number rose in 2023, which saw records broken for heat-related deaths in the US.

The Associated Press analysis found that 2,300 people died that summer due to conditions connected to excessive heat, the highest rate in 45 years of records.

Several interviewees told the news outlet they had observed temperatures increasing over the course of their lives.

“When I was a kid, that seemed like a very rare thing when it did hit 100, everybody was like, whoa. And now it’s just every day,” said John Hazel, a crime scene investigator who identifies as a Republican.

“Seasons felt a little more balanced. Now it feels like summer’s a bit lingering. It starts earlier and lasts longer.”