Minority of Americans Believe in Manmade Global Warming Crisis

Published August 3, 2012

Less than half of Americans believe global warming is occurring and is primarily caused by humans, a newly published Angus Reid public opinion poll reports. 

Merely 42 percent of Americans and 43 percent of Britons believe global warming is occurring and is primarily caused by humans, according to the three-nation poll. Canadians are more willing to buy into climate alarmists’ assertions, with 58 percent saying global warming is occurring and is primarily caused by humans.

Alarmists Harmed by Climategate

According to the survey results, global warming alarmists shot themselves in the foot when the public learned about prominent alarmist scientists hiding, doctoring, and destroying data and bullying editors of peer-reviewed journals not to publish studies casting doubt on global warming alarmism.

“We saw a big drop in belief in emissions-caused climate change immediately after the so-called Climategate controversy,” said Mario Canseco, vice president of Angus Reid. “Many people in the United Kingdom were disappointed with the revelation, and the numbers have dropped as a result.”

Differences Among Nations, Regions

The survey revealed regional differences within individual nations, as well as differences between different nations.

In Quebec, 71 percent of respondents believe global warming is occurring and is primarily caused by human activities. Only 41 percent of respondents in Alberta thought similarly. In the United Kingdom, 48 percent of Londoners believe humans are primarily responsible for ongoing global warming, compared to 41 percent of those living in Midlands and Wales.

In the United States, the highest percentage of people believing in primarily manmade global warming are in the West, where 48 percent believe global warming is occurring and humans are primarily responsible. Only 39 percent of Midwesterners agree with that, the survey reports.

Economic Concerns Important 

Canseco said economic concerns weighed heavily in the survey results.

“The other issue that is definitely playing a role in perceptions is the battle between economic growth and environmental protection,” Canseco said. “In Canada, the government has been criticized by the opposition for not taking action on specific environmental concerns. In Britain and the United States, people are more worried about creating jobs, and there’s a tendency from a large component of the population, one in five, to look at climate change as a theory that actually hampers growth.”

The survey found only 45 percent of Americans favor protecting the environment at the risk of hampering economic growth. 

Cheryl Chumley ([email protected]) is a digital editor with The Washington Times’ latest endeavor, www.Times247.com.