May 19th, 2009
Americans do not agree on global warming
From alarmed to dismissive, all over the American map Americans are all over the map on global warming. A survey by Yale and George Mason University researchers found Americans deeply split, and placed the various general public opinions about climate change into six general types.
You can find the full report here. Now, the six types:
The Alarmed, (18 percent of the population) are most convinced that global warming is happening, caused by humans, and a serious and urgent threat.
The Concerned (33 percent) believe global warming is a serious problem and support an active national response, but are less personally involved and have taken fewer actions than the Alarmed.
The Cautious (19 percent) believe global warming is a problem, but are less certain it is happening. They neither view it as a personal threat nor feel a sense of urgency about it.
The Disengaged (12 percent) do not know much about global warming or whether it is happening and have not thought much about the issue.
The Doubtful (11 percent) are not sure whether global warming is happening, but believe that, if it is, it is caused by natural environmental changes and is a distant threat.
The Dismissive (7 percent) are actively engaged in the issue, but believe that global warming is not happening and does not warrant a national response.
Over half the surveyed population is either concerned or alarmed, leaving the GW nay-sayers in the minority. So, Dear readers, let’s do our own unscientific survey of the best and brightest, that being ZDNet readers. Which category fits your comfort level on climate change?
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A newsman since 1969, Harry Fuller has worked for CBS, ABC, CNBC Europe, CNET and was founding news director at TechTV. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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