The Social Distribution of Climate Change Risk Perception: Unraveling Intersectional Patterns of Concern in the United States

The escalating frequency and severity of extreme weather events globally have underscored the critical importance of addressing anthropogenic climate change. Countries that contribute disproportionately to global warming relative to their population size bear an urgent responsibility to mitigate climate risks. However, effecting substantive policy change requires a broad public consensus to compel legislative action, a process fundamentally dependent on risk perception. It is theorized that individuals, households, and communities with higher levels of climate change risk perception are more inclined to adopt mitigation behaviors and support collective action. Such perception, however, varies considerably across social dimensions. This study aims to examine how sociodemographic factors shape climate change risk perception among Americans and how intersectionality reveals nuanced patterns beyond single-axis analysis. Using data from the 2023 National Survey of Health Attitudes, the analysis demonstrates that gender, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, religiosity, marital status, and geographic region serve as strong predictors of climate risk perception. Further intersectional analysis reveals that individuals with multiple marginalized social identities, such as race, gender, and socioeconomic status, perceive climate risk distinctly from those without such compounded identities. The study concludes that effective climate communication and policy interventions must prioritize sociodemographic diversity and integrate an intersectional lens to address differential vulnerabilities and perceptions equitably.