In the year following the devastating fires on Maui, the island’s residents became increasingly worried about the impacts of climate change.

More than three-quarters of Maui residents said they were concerned about global warming in 2024, according to a national climate survey conducted annually by Yale University — a six percentage point increase from 2022.

Despite the heightened concern, data shows a disconnect statewide between awareness of climate change and people’s perception that it will touch their lives directly. 

Data scientists at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication say that even though the impact of extreme weather events on public opinion may be reflected in the survey, these events aren’t variables built into the model.

Still, the percentage of people in Maui who said they were worried about global warming was 7% higher than the average across all five Hawaiʻi counties. 

Over the past decade, the percentage of people in Maui who say they are worried about global warming has gone up by almost 10%, data from Yale Climate Opinion Maps shows.

Many people in Hawaiʻi continue to think climate change will not impact them directly. Despite the fires, more than 40% of Maui residents said in 2024 that they thought global warming would influence their lives a little or not at all.

Most people across the state – 78% – said they thought it would be a problem for future generations. Only 58% of people in Hawaii said they had personally felt the impacts of global warming. 

Across the state, a majority of people surveyed said they want action from all levels of government and their communities. More than half of people in the survey said that Gov. Josh Green should be doing more to address global warming. When it comes to local officials, Hawaiʻi County had the highest rate of people calling for their leaders to take action.

Most of all, people want corporations to do more to tackle the impact of climate change. More than 70% of Hawaiʻi residents said companies should be stepping up to combat climate change.

Civil Beat’s coverage of climate change is supported by The Healy Foundation, Marisla Fund of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation and the Frost Family Foundation.