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More Americans are saying extreme heat is impacting multiple facets of their lives, according to a new poll.
In an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, 50 percent of respondents said their sleep has faced a “major impact” or “minor impact” from extreme heat in the last year, while 39 percent said the same in 2024. Fifty-one percent in the same poll said their exercise routine has faced a “major impact” or “minor impact” from extreme heat in the last year, compared with 44 percent in 2024.
When asked how extreme heat had impacted their electricity bills in the last year, 81 percent said it had affected the bills to a “major” or “minor” extent, while 69 percent said the same in 2024.
Late last month, dangerously high temperatures hit much of the central U.S. as an expansive heat dome settled over the region. Heat advisories hit about 80 million people, with the National Weather Service warning that intense heat from Texas to North Dakota brought temperatures well above seasonal average.
The continental U.S. went through its second-hottest first six months of the year on record in 2026, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
In the AP-NORC poll, 66 percent said “climate change is happening,” while 15 percent disagreed and 17 percent were unsure. One percent didn’t answer the question.
The AP-NORC poll took place July 23-27, with 1,165 respondents and had 3.7 percentage points as its margin of sampling error.
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