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Data Bank: Surveys Show that Americans Respect Scientists, a Gap Persists on Perceptions of Climate Change, but Public Supports Action to Curb Emissions
The United States is generally supportive of scientists and government funding for research and education, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. However, public understanding of climatic changes caused by human activity continues to lag behind that of scientists, the survey indicates.
Americans Have Great Respect for Scientists, Research, and Education
70 percent: the proportion of Americans who believe scientists contribute a lot to the “well-being of society”
60 percent: the proportion of the public who agree that “government investment in research is essential for scientific progress”
39 percent: the proportion of the public who would increase scientific research funding if given the opportunity to shape the federal budget
67 percent: the proportion of Americans who support increased federal spending on science education
Climate Change Perceptions: Scientists and the Public
49 percent: the proportion of the general public that says the earth is getting warmer “mostly because of human activity, such as burning fossil fuels”
84 percent: the proportion of scientists who attribute the earth’s warming to human activity
56 percent: the proportion of the public who believe scientists generally agree that human activity contributes to the earth’s warming
70 percent: the proportion of scientists who consider global warming “a very serious problem”
47 percent: the proportion of Americans who consider global warming “a very serious problem”
But the American public does support substantial action to tackle climate change, according to a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll analyzed by CAP Senior Fellow Ruy Texeria.
Americans Support Action to Curb Emissions
75 percent: the proportion of Americans who support government regulation of greenhouse gases
52 percent: the proportion of Americans who support a system of “cap-and-trade” to regulate greenhouse gases
59 percent: the proportion of Americans who support U.S. action on climate change even if other nations take less substantial steps
Comments on this article
Whenever a study like this comes out, the results always boggle the mind. From the snippets given here, a minority of Americans, only 47%, think global warming is a very serious problem and yet a clear majority support regulation of greenhouse gases. How odd. (Clearly the seeds of doubt are well planted that there is not consensus among the scientific community regarding global warming.) How were the questions worded? Since when does the American public support lots of government regulation of things that aren’t an important problem?! I should be happy that at least people are accepting the need for cutting greenhouse gases.
July 15th, 2009 at 3:26 pm