Counties most concerned about climate change in Tennessee

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 Tennessee 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. Lawrence County

- Worried about global warming: 51.4%
--- 4.1% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 48.0%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 36.5%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 28.5%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 51.1%
- Total population: 32,488 people

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#49. Smith County

- Worried about global warming: 51.5%
--- 4.1% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 47.8%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 36.5%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 28.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 50.7%
- Total population: 15,158 people

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#48. Grundy County

- Worried about global warming: 51.7%
--- 3.9% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 47.0%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 37.7%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 28.1%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 51.1%
- Total population: 10,448 people

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#47. Gibson County

- Worried about global warming: 51.7%
--- 3.8% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 49.9%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 38.3%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 26.9%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 54.6%
- Total population: 37,346 people

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#46. Loudon County

- Worried about global warming: 51.7%
--- 3.8% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 49.0%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 36.7%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 30.0%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 50.3%
- Total population: 42,044 people

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#45. Carter County

- Worried about global warming: 51.8%
--- 3.7% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 48.2%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 36.1%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 28.9%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 51.2%
- Total population: 45,877 people

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#44. Perry County

- Worried about global warming: 51.9%
--- 3.6% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 47.1%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 37.9%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 30.2%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 50.2%
- Total population: 6,202 people

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#43. Sequatchie County

- Worried about global warming: 51.9%
--- 3.6% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 47.8%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 37.1%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 30.6%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 51.8%
- Total population: 11,801 people

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#42. Van Buren County

- Worried about global warming: 51.9%
--- 3.6% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 46.7%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 36.1%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 27.6%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 50.7%
- Total population: 4,678 people

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#41. Bradley County

- Worried about global warming: 52.0%
--- 3.6% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 49.2%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 37.3%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 30.2%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 51.3%
- Total population: 82,393 people

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#40. Decatur County

- Worried about global warming: 52.0%
--- 3.5% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 47.6%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 36.2%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.3%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 51.0%
- Total population: 9,182 people

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#39. Bledsoe County

- Worried about global warming: 52.0%
--- 3.5% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 48.1%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 38.3%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 31.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 51.2%
- Total population: 12,003 people

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#38. Warren County

- Worried about global warming: 52.1%
--- 3.4% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 48.2%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 36.7%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 26.8%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 49.7%
- Total population: 31,074 people

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#37. Pickett County

- Worried about global warming: 52.5%
--- 3.0% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 47.0%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 36.2%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.0%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 51.0%
- Total population: 4,148 people

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#36. Dickson County

- Worried about global warming: 52.6%
--- 2.9% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 49.3%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 38.0%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 28.9%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 52.5%
- Total population: 40,348 people

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#35. Washington County

- Worried about global warming: 52.7%
--- 2.8% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 51.4%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 37.6%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 30.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 51.9%
- Total population: 103,172 people

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#34. Cheatham County

- Worried about global warming: 52.8%
--- 2.8% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 49.8%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 37.3%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 30.8%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 52.1%
- Total population: 31,273 people

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#33. Houston County

- Worried about global warming: 52.8%
--- 2.8% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 49.4%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 38.9%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 52.9%
- Total population: 6,408 people

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#32. Weakley County

- Worried about global warming: 52.8%
--- 2.7% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 49.8%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 38.4%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.3%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 51.4%
- Total population: 27,029 people

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#31. Robertson County

- Worried about global warming: 53.1%
--- 2.4% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 50.6%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 38.2%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.3%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 53.1%
- Total population: 53,270 people

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#30. Giles County

- Worried about global warming: 53.3%
--- 2.2% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 49.1%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 37.9%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 28.0%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 52.7%
- Total population: 23,172 people

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#29. Hickman County

- Worried about global warming: 53.6%
--- 1.9% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 48.9%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 38.3%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.7%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 51.9%
- Total population: 19,555 people

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#28. Putnam County

- Worried about global warming: 53.7%
--- 1.9% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 50.8%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 37.9%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 31.0%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 54.3%
- Total population: 61,280 people

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#27. Sumner County

- Worried about global warming: 53.7%
--- 1.8% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 54.0%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 37.8%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 31.2%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 53.7%
- Total population: 139,880 people

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#26. Lake County

- Worried about global warming: 53.7%
--- 1.8% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 49.5%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 40.3%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 24.6%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 53.2%
- Total population: 6,339 people

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#25. Franklin County

- Worried about global warming: 53.8%
--- 1.8% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 50.0%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 37.8%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 30.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 52.2%
- Total population: 33,249 people

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#24. Henry County

- Worried about global warming: 54.1%
--- 1.4% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 49.7%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 37.7%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 28.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 52.8%
- Total population: 25,589 people

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#23. McMinn County

- Worried about global warming: 54.3%
--- 1.3% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 49.3%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 35.8%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 27.8%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 56.0%
- Total population: 41,805 people

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#22. Jefferson County

- Worried about global warming: 54.6%
--- 1.0% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 50.4%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 37.9%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 31.5%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 54.6%
- Total population: 42,970 people

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#21. Coffee County

- Worried about global warming: 55.0%
--- 0.6% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 49.9%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 37.2%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.2%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 54.1%
- Total population: 41,977 people

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#20. Anderson County

- Worried about global warming: 55.0%
--- 0.5% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 50.0%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 37.0%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.0%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 52.5%
- Total population: 59,972 people

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#19. Bedford County

- Worried about global warming: 55.2%
--- 0.3% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 50.9%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 40.6%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.6%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 53.8%
- Total population: 36,015 people

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#18. Fayette County

- Worried about global warming: 55.4%
--- 0.2% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 52.1%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 40.0%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 26.6%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 54.6%
- Total population: 32,296 people

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#17. Trousdale County

- Worried about global warming: 55.4%
--- 0.1% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 51.6%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 39.7%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 31.0%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 54.6%
- Total population: 8,301 people

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#16. DeKalb County

- Worried about global warming: 55.5%
--- 0.1% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 49.8%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 38.4%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 30.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 53.8%
- Total population: 15,514 people

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#15. Blount County

- Worried about global warming: 55.5%
--- 0.0% lower than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 50.7%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 36.2%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 29.8%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 53.8%
- Total population: 103,392 people

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#14. Maury County

- Worried about global warming: 55.6%
--- 0.0% higher than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 51.7%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 38.5%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 28.8%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 53.2%
- Total population: 70,426 people

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#13. Rutherford County

- Worried about global warming: 56.5%
--- 1.0% higher than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 53.5%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 40.9%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 30.8%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 54.6%
- Total population: 237,642 people

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#12. Wilson County

- Worried about global warming: 56.6%
--- 1.0% higher than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 52.4%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 39.1%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 32.1%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 54.0%
- Total population: 104,160 people

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#11. Lauderdale County

- Worried about global warming: 57.1%
--- 1.6% higher than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 51.7%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 41.7%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 22.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 56.3%
- Total population: 20,012 people

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#10. Sevier County

- Worried about global warming: 57.2%
--- 1.6% higher than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 51.4%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 40.1%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 33.1%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 55.1%
- Total population: 77,173 people

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#9. Hardeman County

- Worried about global warming: 58.3%
--- 2.8% higher than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 52.6%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 43.5%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 22.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 56.6%
- Total population: 20,622 people

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#8. Madison County

- Worried about global warming: 59.2%
--- 3.6% higher than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 56.8%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 43.8%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 26.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 58.7%
- Total population: 75,597 people

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#7. Williamson County

- Worried about global warming: 59.5%
--- 3.9% higher than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 57.9%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 40.7%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 37.3%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 56.4%
- Total population: 163,604 people

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#6. Knox County

- Worried about global warming: 60.2%
--- 4.7% higher than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 57.6%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 42.5%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 33.1%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 59.2%
- Total population: 363,627 people

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#5. Montgomery County

- Worried about global warming: 60.7%
--- 5.1% higher than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 57.3%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 42.8%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 28.5%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 59.4%
- Total population: 146,338 people

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#4. Haywood County

- Worried about global warming: 62.6%
--- 7.1% higher than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 56.5%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 45.8%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 20.8%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 60.6%
- Total population: 13,624 people

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#3. Hamilton County

- Worried about global warming: 63.4%
--- 7.8% higher than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 60.1%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 43.8%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 31.5%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 61.8%
- Total population: 285,630 people

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#2. Shelby County

- Worried about global warming: 65.2%
--- 9.7% higher than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 60.6%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 48.9%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 25.6%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 64.0%
- Total population: 701,193 people

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#1. Davidson County

- Worried about global warming: 69.4%
--- 13.9% higher than Tennessee average
- Agree that global warming is affecting weather: 63.0%
- Think global warming will harm them personally: 47.8%
- Hear about global warming in the media at least weekly: 33.4%
- Think Congress should be doing more to address global warming: 64.8%
- Total population: 542,484 people

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