CNN’s Harry Enten Says Most Americans Are Not ‘Greatly Worried’ About Climate Change

CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten said on Wednesday that Democrats’ messaging on climate change is not strongly resonating with the American people.

The percentage of Americans who are “greatly worried” about climate change hasn’t changed since 1989, suggesting politicians’ messaging on the issue is ineffective. Democratic politicians have been pivoting away from climate change messaging since it does not appear to be on voters’ lists of priorities.

“And the worry in terms of climate change, simply put, hasn’t shifted,” Enten said. “It has not reached the majority of Americans.What are we talking about? ‘Greatly worried’ about climate change.You go all the way back to 1989, it was 35 percent, 2000, 40 percent, 2020, 46 percent. And in 2025, look at that.It’s 40 percent. The same number as we had 25 years ago back in 2000. And then only just five points higher than we had back in 1989.Really we’ve just seen consistency on this issue.”

“The bottom line is that the climate change message that folks who, of course, believe that climate change is real and is quite worrisome, simply put, has not really worked with theAmerican people,” Enten continued. 

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Only 2% of Americans consider climate change to be their top issue, Enten said while citing a CNN/SSRS poll. That number has remained the same from 2023 and decreased from 3% in 2021.

“It is very, very low on the list of priorities.I was trying to count it out in the Gallup poll, and basically it was so low down, you