News Nugget

Report: Fewer Westerners Believe in Global Warming


By Courtney Lowery, 10-23-09

 
 

According to a new report out this week from the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, fewer Americans believe that world temperatures are warming and fewer and fewer see climate change as a very serious problem.

Of the 1,500 adults polled, 35 percent said global warming is a serious concern, down from 44 percent in April of 2008. And, 57 percent said they think there is solid evidence that the earth’s average temperature is on the rise. That is down from 71 percent in April of 2008.

Respondents in the Mountain West have had the biggest change in attitude, according to the poll. In this year’s poll, 44 percent said they believe the earth is warming. In 2008, that number was 77 percent. That’s a 31 percent drop. The region with the next biggest change was the Great Lakes region, which saw a 20 percent drop.

The Mountain West also had the biggest drop in the the concern over climate change. In 2008, 44 percent of regional respondents said climate change is very serious problem. Today, that number is 26 percent—down 18 percent.

Both the West and the Great Lakes region also saw the biggest declines in the percentage of respondents who believe global warming is caused by humans.

The report has set off alarms, especially as Congress takes on the cap and trade issue and the discussion about global warming ramps up around it. Click here to read the full report, which also breaks down the responses based on political parties (independents showed the biggest change in attitude) and age (young people are more likely to think global warming is real and is a serious problem.)

And, for some reading on the implications of the report:

Grist’s Jonathan Hiskes explains why the report should be taken with a grain of salt.

Mara Gay at the Atlantic attempts to sort out where the new attitudes might be coming from.

The Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Power hears from opponents and proponents of carbon capping on what they think of the report.

(As a side note: My favorite headline of the day comes from the fair and balanced Fox, of course: ”Americans No Longer Swallowing Global Warming Dogma” (Really?!))



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