new Gallup poll on global warming

[guardian]

Americans' Global Warming Concerns Continue to Drop
Multiple indicators show less concern, more feelings that global warming is exaggerated
by Frank Newport

PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup's annual update on Americans' attitudes toward the environment shows a public that over the last two years has become less worried about the threat of global warming, less convinced that its effects are already happening, and more likely to believe that scientists themselves are uncertain about its occurrence. In response to one key question, 48% of Americans now believe that the seriousness of global warming is generally exaggerated, up from 41% in 2009 and 31% in 1997, when Gallup first asked the question.


Graph of respondents believing AGW threat is exaggerated.

Complete article and graphs at http://www.gallup.com/poll/126560/Americans-Global-Warming-Concerns-Continue-Drop.aspx

[thereismore]

1. Some people will go to their graves believing in fairies. nt

[damntexdem]

7. But they won't be buried when they drown, unable to continue to tread water.

Or are killed in the riots over billions of refugees from low-lying areas.

[FSogol]

2. So, scientific questions are now decided by public opinion polls?

Why not ask how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

:shrug:

[Goldstein1984]

6. Unfortunately

Public opinon plays a huge role in the process of transforming science into policy.

James Hansen, NASA Climate Scientist, recently wrote a book ("Storms of My Grandchildren") about the problems he's encountered in turning scientific findings into policy.

[Goldstein1984]

3. Not surprising

Roughly the same percentage (45%) of Americans believe the Earth is less than 10,000 years old.

[Viking12]

4. So?

[Dogmudgeon]

5. Also: Gallup polling reveals that half or more of the public believes in UFOs

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19870313&id=tEIsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KM4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6834,5192350">Gallup from 1987

http://www.paranormalresearchforum.com/Polls.htm">Other polls including Gallup 1997

--d!

[Ozymanithrax]

8. If you repeat a lie often enough...

[MineralMan]

9. What it shows is how ignorant our population is, and how

poorly-educated. After all, half of the US population is below-average in intelligence. It's the left half of the bell curve on display.

[OKIsItJustMe]

10. Unfortunately, I know a number of people on the right half of the bell curve

who don't believe in Anthropogenic Climate Change.

[MineralMan]

11. One can be smart and ignorant at the same time.

[OKIsItJustMe]

12. In this case, it is willful ignorance

(intelligence may be irrelevant.)

[Nihil]

13. 48% of Americans are too stupid to do anything except breed and consume ...

... that's news?

We've been reading posts from them here on DU for years ...

:shrug:

[stuntcat]

14. you're too nice, I'd say75%

.