Counties most concerned about climate change in North Carolina

Nationally, 72% of Americans believe global warming is happening. But when public opinion researchers zoom in on Americans, they find that attitudes and opinions about climate change can vary drastically from county to county—even when those counties are next door. Public opinion factors into how policy-makers respond to climate change, including taking steps to reduce CO2 levels and mitigate harmful impacts already being experienced. Stacker compiled a list of counties most concerned about climate change in North Carolina using data from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Counties are ranked by the percent of residents that are worried about global warming.

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#50. Sampson County

- Worried about global warming: 59.0%
--- 3.7% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 56.9%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 44.5%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 24.8%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 53.8%
- Total population: 47,829 people

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#49. Moore County

- Worried about global warming: 59.0%
--- 3.6% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 58.9%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 41.1%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 32.6%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 56.2%
- Total population: 76,526 people

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#48. Swain County

- Worried about global warming: 59.2%
--- 3.4% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 57.3%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 42.1%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 27.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 55.8%
- Total population: 10,975 people

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#47. Columbus County

- Worried about global warming: 59.2%
--- 3.4% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 57.2%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 42.8%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 25.2%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 56.8%
- Total population: 44,106 people

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#46. Cabarrus County

- Worried about global warming: 59.7%
--- 2.9% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 61.0%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 43.3%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 30.5%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 59.1%
- Total population: 153,312 people

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#45. Onslow County

- Worried about global warming: 59.7%
--- 2.9% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 60.4%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 44.2%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 34.9%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 58.6%
- Total population: 147,440 people

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#44. Chowan County

- Worried about global warming: 60.1%
--- 2.5% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 60.4%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 44.6%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 27.8%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 58.3%
- Total population: 11,184 people

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#43. Dare County

- Worried about global warming: 60.2%
--- 2.4% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 60.1%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 41.4%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 37.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 58.8%
- Total population: 29,239 people

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#42. Tyrrell County

- Worried about global warming: 60.2%
--- 2.4% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 59.1%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 45.4%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 25.5%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 58.0%
- Total population: 3,524 people

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#41. Jones County

- Worried about global warming: 60.6%
--- 2.1% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 59.1%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 43.7%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 25.5%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 58.7%
- Total population: 7,780 people

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#40. Brunswick County

- Worried about global warming: 60.6%
--- 2.0% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 60.1%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 40.5%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 33.2%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 57.8%
- Total population: 111,188 people

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#39. Franklin County

- Worried about global warming: 60.6%
--- 2.0% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 60.3%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 43.1%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 28.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 57.6%
- Total population: 51,648 people

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#38. Granville County

- Worried about global warming: 60.6%
--- 2.0% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 60.0%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 44.1%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 26.9%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 59.2%
- Total population: 47,025 people

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#37. Duplin County

- Worried about global warming: 60.8%
--- 1.9% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 59.2%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 45.8%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 26.3%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 56.8%
- Total population: 44,649 people

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#36. Craven County

- Worried about global warming: 60.9%
--- 1.8% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 60.8%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 43.4%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 30.3%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 55.8%
- Total population: 80,152 people

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#35. Johnston County

- Worried about global warming: 61.1%
--- 1.5% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 57.4%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 43.2%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.6%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 54.8%
- Total population: 146,369 people

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#34. Nash County

- Worried about global warming: 61.5%
--- 1.1% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 61.4%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 45.6%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 25.1%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 58.3%
- Total population: 73,148 people

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#33. Greene County

- Worried about global warming: 61.5%
--- 1.1% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 60.2%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 46.7%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 24.7%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 59.3%
- Total population: 16,722 people

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#32. Wayne County

- Worried about global warming: 61.7%
--- 0.9% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 60.8%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 45.4%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 27.1%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 59.2%
- Total population: 94,194 people

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#31. Alamance County

- Worried about global warming: 62.1%
--- 0.5% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 61.7%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 43.5%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 28.0%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 62.8%
- Total population: 126,786 people

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#30. Scotland County

- Worried about global warming: 62.2%
--- 0.4% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 60.9%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 45.3%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 23.0%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 58.6%
- Total population: 27,030 people

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#29. Robeson County

- Worried about global warming: 62.5%
--- 0.2% lower than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 59.7%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 46.7%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 21.5%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 61.0%
- Total population: 99,189 people

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#28. Lee County

- Worried about global warming: 63.1%
--- 0.5% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 61.2%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 45.3%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.1%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 59.2%
- Total population: 45,732 people

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#27. Anson County

- Worried about global warming: 63.2%
--- 0.5% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 62.1%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 47.0%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 23.5%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 59.2%
- Total population: 20,071 people

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#26. Lenoir County

- Worried about global warming: 63.5%
--- 0.9% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 62.0%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 47.3%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 25.6%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 60.8%
- Total population: 44,022 people

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#25. Pasquotank County

- Worried about global warming: 63.5%
--- 0.9% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 63.2%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 45.9%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 27.1%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 60.4%
- Total population: 30,705 people

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#24. Hyde County

- Worried about global warming: 63.7%
--- 1.1% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 60.2%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 45.7%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 28.0%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 60.5%
- Total population: 4,120 people

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#23. Forsyth County

- Worried about global warming: 63.9%
--- 1.3% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 62.4%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 45.0%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.6%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 60.9%
- Total population: 288,156 people

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#22. Jackson County

- Worried about global warming: 64.2%
--- 1.5% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 63.6%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 43.1%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 34.5%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 61.1%
- Total population: 35,727 people

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#21. Watauga County

- Worried about global warming: 64.5%
--- 1.9% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 63.4%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 43.5%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 39.5%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 60.1%
- Total population: 47,772 people

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#20. Wilson County

- Worried about global warming: 64.6%
--- 1.9% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 63.5%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 47.8%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 25.3%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 63.2%
- Total population: 62,603 people

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#19. Pitt County

- Worried about global warming: 64.6%
--- 2.0% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 66.5%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 46.7%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 28.9%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 60.8%
- Total population: 140,019 people

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#18. Washington County

- Worried about global warming: 65.1%
--- 2.5% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 64.2%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 49.6%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 25.3%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 62.9%
- Total population: 9,504 people

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#17. New Hanover County

- Worried about global warming: 65.1%
--- 2.5% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 64.4%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 44.1%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 34.2%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 59.3%
- Total population: 185,262 people

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#16. Northampton County

- Worried about global warming: 65.4%
--- 2.8% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 62.2%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 48.8%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 21.8%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 62.6%
- Total population: 16,411 people

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#15. Hoke County

- Worried about global warming: 65.6%
--- 3.0% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 64.8%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 48.8%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 25.9%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 62.7%
- Total population: 39,046 people

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#14. Halifax County

- Worried about global warming: 65.7%
--- 3.1% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 62.6%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 48.9%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 22.1%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 62.7%
- Total population: 40,180 people

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#13. Warren County

- Worried about global warming: 66.6%
--- 4.0% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 65.8%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 50.5%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 24.1%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 64.1%
- Total population: 16,253 people

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#12. Edgecombe County

- Worried about global warming: 67.2%
--- 4.6% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 65.7%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 51.1%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 22.7%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 65.4%
- Total population: 40,653 people

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#11. Bertie County

- Worried about global warming: 67.3%
--- 4.6% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 65.4%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 51.0%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 22.9%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 64.6%
- Total population: 16,002 people

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#10. Cumberland County

- Worried about global warming: 67.5%
--- 4.8% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 67.6%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 52.9%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.0%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 66.4%
- Total population: 250,551 people

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#9. Chatham County

- Worried about global warming: 67.5%
--- 4.9% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 65.9%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 46.5%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 34.7%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 63.6%
- Total population: 56,749 people

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#8. Vance County

- Worried about global warming: 67.9%
--- 5.3% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 65.3%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 49.6%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 24.3%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 63.6%
- Total population: 33,865 people

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#7. Buncombe County

- Worried about global warming: 68.4%
--- 5.8% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 65.7%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 47.0%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 36.8%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 62.4%
- Total population: 208,731 people

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#6. Hertford County

- Worried about global warming: 69.4%
--- 6.8% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 67.3%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 51.6%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 23.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 66.6%
- Total population: 19,449 people

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#5. Wake County

- Worried about global warming: 69.6%
--- 7.0% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 67.4%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 49.2%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 34.5%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 65.0%
- Total population: 810,600 people

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#4. Guilford County

- Worried about global warming: 70.5%
--- 7.9% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 69.0%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 49.9%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 64.9%
- Total population: 409,721 people

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#3. Mecklenburg County

- Worried about global warming: 71.2%
--- 8.5% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 71.2%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 51.9%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 33.3%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 68.3%
- Total population: 818,220 people

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#2. Durham County

- Worried about global warming: 72.0%
--- 9.4% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 72.5%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 50.3%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 32.3%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 71.3%
- Total population: 246,026 people

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#1. Orange County

- Worried about global warming: 73.2%
--- 10.6% higher than North Carolina average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 72.9%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 52.3%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 41.8%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 68.9%
- Total population: 116,318 people

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