Elisa Bracamonte, a 74-year-old retired nurse from Tucson, Arizona, has spent her entire life in the state. She’s accustomed to planning her daily activities around high temperatures, especially in the summer. However, she finds that the heat now impacts more aspects of her life. Summer plans with family, meetups with friends, road trips, and her daily morning walks are all affected.
“I’ve noticed at least a 10 degree difference in the weather,” Bracamonte said. “Every summer, it seems to be getting hotter and hotter.”
A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates that many Americans share Bracamonte’s experiences. The survey reveals that more U.S. adults say extreme heat has had a “major” or “minor” impact on their lives compared to July 2024. This applies to travel plans, electricity bills, sleep, and outdoor activities.
According to AP’s Lisa Dwyer, much of this shift is seen among people living in the West or Midwest. Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say extreme heat has had a major impact.
Global warming has intensified recently, with 2025 being among the hottest years recorded. The U.S. has faced dangerous heat domes and high temperatures early in the year. Thousands of heat-related deaths highlight the seriousness of the situation. Extreme heat also escalates wildfire risks, strains infrastructure, harms agriculture, and disrupts events like sports gatherings.
Bracamonte described how her routine has changed due to the heat:
“I have to get up at 5 in the morning to walk before 6, because by 7 it’s already in the 80s. I lose a couple hours of sleep because I’m having to wake up earlier. You can’t stay outside without being sick unless you’re guzzling water the whole time. It’s just so, so hot.”
Rising Electricity Bills
About 80% of Americans report that extreme heat has affected their electricity bills over the past year, rising from 69% in July 2024. In the Midwest, 44% say heat has had a major impact on their bills, compared to 29% two years ago. Rising household energy costs have become a prominent political issue.
“I feel like my utility costs probably doubled in the last three or four years,” said Daemien Williams from Cahokia Heights, Illinois.
Impact on Travel and Outdoor Activities
Extreme heat is also impacting travel, vacation plans, and outdoor activities. About 40% of Americans experienced this, up from about a quarter in 2024.
“It has affected my entire family because we usually get together a lot during the summer,” Bracamonte said. “There’s been a lot more fires and flooding, so that inhibits our travel plans.”
Wildfires and increased storms exacerbate the challenges posed by extreme heat.
Approximately 70% of Americans say that their family’s outdoor activities have been impacted by extreme heat, compared to 60% in 2024. Sean Conway from North Shore, Massachusetts, mentioned the disruption to his children’s soccer practices.
“Sometimes, you’ve got to just be out in the bad weather.”
Stable Beliefs on Climate Change
Despite more Americans feeling the impact of extreme heat, belief in climate change remains largely unchanged. About 66% believe it is happening, slightly down from 73% in September 2025.
“My biggest indicator of the change in the climate is just the flooding is a lot more often,” said Williams.
John Hazel from Texas also noted changes:
“When I was a kid, that seemed like a very rare thing when it did hit 100. Now it’s just every day.”
The poll, conducted July 23-27, 2026, involved 1,165 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
Reporter Alexa St. John covers climate issues for the Associated Press.