American Opinions on Global Warming
A Yale University / Gallup / ClearVision Institute Poll
Principal Investigator:
Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz
School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Yale University
(203) 432-4865 (ofc)
anthony.leiserowitz@yale.edu
- Press Release on Survey Results
- Executive Summary of Survey Results
SURVEY RESULTS
AmericansGlobalWarmingReport.pdf
Figure 1: Personally Convinced
“How convinced are you that global warming is happening -- would you say you are -- completely convinced, mostly convinced, not so convinced, or not at all convinced?”
Figure 2: Scientific Consensus
“Which comes closer to your own view -- most scientists think global warming is happening, (or) most scientists think global warming is not happening, or there is a lot of disagreement among scientists about whether or not global warming is happening, or do you not know enough to say?”
Figure 3: Cause of Global Warming
“If global warming is happening, do you think it is -- caused mostly by human activities, (or) caused mostly by natural changes in the environment?”
“How much do you personally worry about global warming –
a great deal, a fair amount, only a little, or not at all?”
Figure 5: Seriousness and Geography of Impacts
“How serious of a threat is global warming to -- [ITEMS READ IN ORDER] -- very serious, somewhat serious, not very serious, or not at all serious?”
“When do you think global warming will start to have dangerous impacts on people around the world -- is it having dangerous impacts now, will it have dangerous impacts in 10 years, in 25 years, in 50 years, in 100 years, or will it never have dangerous impacts?”
Note: 2004 data from a national survey conducted by A. Leiserowitz
and Knowledge Networks, June 15-27 (n = 425).
“Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree with the following statement? Life on earth will continue without major disruptions only if we take immediate and drastic action to reduce global warming.”
“As you may know, global warming is said to be partly caused by the emission of carbon dioxide from the burning of gasoline, oil, coal, and natural gas in cars, homes, and electric power plants. Do you favor or oppose each of the following as a way for the federal or state governments to reduce both carbon dioxide emissions and global warming? How about…
Figure 8: Policy Summary Chart
Figure 9: International Treaty
Agreeing to an international treaty that requires the United States to cut its emissions of carbon dioxide 90% by the year 2050.”
Figure 10: Fuel Efficiency Standards
“Requiring automakers to increase the fuel efficiency of cars, trucks, and SUVs to 35 miles per gallon, even if it meant a new car would cost up to $500 more to buy.”
Figure 11: Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards
“Requiring electric utilities to produce at least 20% of their electricity from wind, solar, or other renewable energy sources, even if it cost the average household an extra $100 a year.”
“Requiring that any newly constructed home, residential, or commercial building
meet higher energy efficiency standards.”
“Increasing taxes on gasoline so people either drive less or buy cars that use less gas.”
Figure 15: Influence on Vote for President
“If the presidential election were held today, how important would a candidate’s position on global warming be in your decision about whom to vote for -- extremely important, very important, somewhat important, or not that important?”
Figure 16: Personal Capability
“Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with each of the following statements…”
“You can take actions that will help reduce global warming.”
Figure 17: Capability of the United States
“Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with each of the following statements…”
“The United States can take actions that will help reduce global warming.”
Figure 18: Efficacy of Individual Action
“The actions of a single person won’t make any difference in reducing global warming.”
Figure 19: Efficacy of US Action
“The actions of a single country like the United States won’t make any difference
in reducing global warming.”
This survey was conducted July 23-26, 2007, using telephone interviews with 1,011 adults, aged 18+. Respondents were drawn from Gallup's household panel, which was originally recruited through random selection methods. The CASRO response rate was 40%. The final sample was weighted to be representative of U.S. adults nationwide. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.
