Climate tops list of US consumers’ future concerns

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.

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.

About the study
The “Challenges of Nations” study has been conducted by the NIM since 1985. In this study, people are asked about the most urgent matters to be resolved in their country of residence today, in a representative and open-ended way. 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.

About the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM)
The Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM) is a non-profit research institute at the interface of academia and practice. NIM examines how consumer decisions change due to new technology, societal trends or the application of behavioral science, and what the resulting micro- and macroeconomic impacts are for the market and for society as a whole. A better understanding of consumer decisions and their impacts helps society, businesses, politics, and consumers make better decisions with regard to “prosperity for all” in the sense of the social-ecological market system.

The Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions is the founder of GfK.

Key Insights: 

• The most frequently mentioned problem that urgently needs to be solved in the USA today is the development around prices and purchasing power. This is followed by immigration and integration, crime and security, and the economy in general.

• American society is divided when it comes to immigration and integration: While older people in particular see this as a problem, the corresponding proportion is lower among younger people.

• The topics of price and purchasing power development as well as immigration and integration have historically high levels of concern.

• The most frequently cited problem to be solved in the USA in the future is environmental and climate protection. This is followed by crime and security, the general economic situation, and the development around price and purchasing power.