More Americans say extreme heat is affecting their lives

Greater shares of Americans now say that extreme heat has affected various parts of day-to-day life compared to just two years ago.

Why it matters: The findings, from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, suggest that people are increasingly aware of extreme heat's impact on their health, budgets, travel plans and more.

By the numbers: 90% of Americans now say that extreme heat has had at least a minor impact on their lives broadly, up from 83% two years ago.

• 80% now say that extreme heat has had at least a minor impact on their power bills, up from 69% in 2024.
• 68% say it's affecting their outdoor activities, up from 57%.
• 42% say it's affecting their travel or vacation plans, up from 26%.

Zoom in: The shifts were driven in part by people living in the West and Midwest, both of which have recently been hit by dangerous and deadly extreme heat events.

• There's also a partisan divide, with Democrats more likely than Republicans to say that heat has had a major impact on the parts of life included in the survey.

Between the lines: Researchers have found that climate change is making extreme heat events more frequent and more intense.

• Yet the share of Americans who say that climate change is happening is dropping: 66% said so in this latest survey, down from 73% last year.

How it works: The poll of 1,165 adults was conducted July 23-27, 2026, with a margin of error of +-3.7 percentage points.