Belief in global warming on the rebound: National survey of American public opinion on climate change

28 February 2012 (Brookings) – As 2012 begins, a growing number of Americans believe global warming is occurring. This is one of the key findings from the latest National Survey of American Public Opinion on Climate Change (NSAPOCC). Other highlights include:

More Americans than ever are pointing to experiences with warmer temperatures as the main reason they believe global warming is occurring.
For Americans who believe that climate change is occurring, factors beyond weather (such as: declining polar species) appear to be having the greatest effect on convincing an individual that the planet is warming.
Nearly 80% of Democrats believe in global warming, while Republicans are almost evenly split with 47% seeing evidence of increasing global temperatures.

After a period of declining levels of belief in global warming there appears to be a modest rebound in the percentage of Americans that believe temperatures on the planet are increasing. This is among the key findings of the latest fielding of the National Survey of American Public Opinion on Climate Change (NSAPOCC) which is jointly produced by the Gerald Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion. The survey, which was fielded in December of 2011, found 62% of Americans agreeing that there is solid evidence that average temperatures on earth have been getting warmer over the past four decades, with 26% of U.S. residents maintaining an opposing view on the matter. The 62% “belief” mark is the highest level recorded since the fall of 2009 when 65% of Americans reported that there was solid evidence of climate change.