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Misperception of Extreme Weather Event Mortality Risk in the United States
Mitchell Manware1, Lingzhi Chu1, Ying Hu1
1Department of Environmental Health Sciences Yale School of Public Health New Haven CT USA.
Geohealth
|July 24, 2026
Summary
Understanding climate change risks is crucial. Public perception of global warming influences risk assessment for extreme weather events, impacting health and motivating climate action.
Area of Science:
- Environmental science
- Public health
- Climate change research
Background:
- Communicating extreme weather event risks is a significant challenge for scientists and policymakers.
- Public perception of climate risk often differs from scientific mortality burden estimates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the gap between public perception of climate risk and scientific estimates of mortality burden from extreme weather events.
- To identify factors influencing risk perception gaps related to climate change.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of public perception data and scientific mortality data.
- Statistical association between belief in global warming and risk perception gaps.
Main Results:
- Risk perception gaps spatially correlate with observed mortality rates attributable to extreme weather.
- Belief in ongoing global warming is linked to reduced risk perception gaps across all analyzed extreme weather events.
Conclusions:
- Public understanding of climate change is vital for mitigating health risks from extreme weather.
- Enhanced climate change education can improve risk perception and drive climate-oriented actions.
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