A Data for Progress poll released on July 19, 2026 found that roughly 61% of likely American voters believe extreme weather events have become more frequent over the past five years. The survey, reported by The Guardian, also found that 67% of likely voters said climate change is making heatwaves worse — the highest share among all extreme weather types measured. Data for Progress, a progressive polling and advocacy organization, conducted the survey and released the results alongside findings that a majority of voters support worker protections against extreme heat.

The partisan breakdown among those who believe extreme weather has increased reveals a notable crossover: 72% of Democrats hold this view, alongside 63% of Independents and 46% of Republicans. On the specific question of heatwaves, 48% of Republicans said climate change is worsening them — the highest Republican share for any extreme weather event in the survey. Grace Adcox, senior climate strategist at Data for Progress, was identified in The Guardian's reporting as a key voice contextualizing the findings.

Beyond heatwaves, the poll measured voter attributions across a range of extreme weather phenomena. Among likely voters, 64% linked climate change to worsening wildfires, 63% to worsening droughts, 62% to worsening flooding and flash flooding, 59% to worsening hurricanes, and 59% to worsening severe thunderstorms and hailstorms.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island commented on the poll results, stating that the data "adds to the mountain of evidence that the public is way ahead of the politicians on the dire consequences of climate change." Whitehouse, a longtime Democratic voice on climate issues in the Senate, has frequently used public opinion data to argue for stronger federal legislative action on emissions and environmental regulation.

The Guardian's reporting also drew on expertise from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Anthony Leiserowitz, the program's director, and Jennifer Marlon, a senior research scientist at Yale focusing on climate communications, were cited in the coverage. The Yale program has long tracked shifts in public climate perceptions, and the new Data for Progress figures align with broader trends tracked by academic institutions showing increasing voter awareness of the links between fossil fuel emissions and extreme weather volatility.

The broader context here is the growing gap between public attribution of extreme weather to climate change and the pace of legislative or regulatory response in Washington. While the Data for Progress poll captures voter sentiment at a single moment, the partisan breakdown — particularly the near-majority of Republicans linking climate change to worsening heatwaves — suggests that direct experience with extreme weather may be shifting perceptions even among demographics historically skeptical of climate science. For policymakers and advocates, the polling signals that climate attribution is no longer an abstract or contested concept for a majority of the electorate. It is an experienced reality. Whether that experienced reality translates into legislative momentum depends on how effectively advocates and legislators like Senator Whitehouse can bridge the gap between public sentiment and political action on Capitol Hill.