Climate tops list of US consumers' future concerns

A study by the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM) examined the obstacles that global societies believe they must solve now, and in the coming 5 to 10 years.

NUREMBERG, Germany, Nov. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A report by the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM) reveals that more than a quarter (27%) of Americans said that environment and climate protection will be the most critical challenge to overcome in the near future – eclipsing other concerns such as immigration, healthcare and even the cost of living crisis (purchasing power development).

NIM's new report, Challenges of Nations (US), surveyed the fears and expectations of almost 2,000 Americans. It compares their current (2024) and future concerns to reveal how societal concerns change over time, and provide clues to the values of US consumers, which in turn will shape what they buy and how they interact with businesses.

The report highlighted that currently, the primary concern among most Americans is the need for action on the cost of living crisis (price and purchasing power development – with 43% placing this top). This is followed immigration (36%) which historically has a high number of respondents and yet misses the top spot in this pressured economic environment.

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Graphic: "And if you think 5–10 years into the future: What do you think, which urgent matters the USA will have to solve then?" Unaided responses (net sum per topic) | multiple responses possible | BASE: all respondents n = 1,877 | values in %

Interestingly, Americans' future concerns demonstrate a different trend to their immediate priorities in the run up to the important November elections. Looking over the past two years, the number of Americans placing climate as a current concern has actually dropped, from 25% to 19% – while immigration increased sharply from 24% to 36% – showing the contrast between fears that have implications today, versus those whose implications are slightly more long-term.

"These results clearly show that Americans have a cautious eye on the future and are conscious of future challenges that are on the way, but that it's all too easy for those future challenges to be drowned out by the seemingly more pressing issues that are having a tangible impact on their lives today. Food prices in the supermarket provide an unavoidable benchmark for the cost of living that Americans can see every day, however the less visible threats that might come from climate are not escaping their attention." said study director Tobias Biro from NIM.

Read more about the report on NIM's website here.

About the study
The "Challenges of Nations" study has been conducted by the NIM since 1985. This year's special edition focuses on the United States of America in the presidential election year. It includes responses from 1,877 people aged 18 to 69, representative of the (online) population. The survey was conducted by GfK between July 23, 2024 and July 31, 2024.