Sorry Al Gore, Global Warming Still Falls Short In Public Opinion

Al Gore and his church of global warming have a long way to go before the idea that humans are causing climate change becomes mainstream. Most voters remain at least “somewhat” concerned about global warming, but they still have mixed opinions about what causes it, and most understand that scientists don’t agree on the cause either.

A new Rasmussen Reports survey finds that 63% of Likely Voters believe global warming is at least a “somewhat serious” problem, but 34% don’t agree.  There is a statistically insignificant difference between those who don’t agree at all, and the 35% who think global warming is a “very serious” issue. Underscoring the challenge proponents of global warming face, on top of the 34% who don’t agree, an additional 11% say it’s “not at all serious.”

Perhaps living in the Obama economy has made a more Americans realists, but they still express more urgency about the economy and don’t feel selfish for doing so.

When given a choice, 67% of Likely U.S. Voters say creating jobs is more important than taking steps to stop global warming, while just 24% say taking action on global warming is more important. Most Americans have expressed concern about global warming for years, but the issue still takes a back seat to the economy and job creation. Another survey shows that 25% of Likely U.S. Voters believe Americans are selfish for putting their economic concerns ahead of the fight against global warming, down from 34% in January and the lowest level measured in years. Most voters, 57%, disagree and say Americans are not being selfish, and another 18% are undecided.

Voters view the U.S. coal industry more favorably than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are closely divided when asked if the Obama administration’s ultimate goal is to kill that industry.

A majority, 51%, of Likely U.S. Voters view the U.S. coal industry “at least somewhat” favorably, while just 29% hold an unfavorable opinion of it. Barack Obama promised back in 2008 that his coal policies would necessarily cause the price of energy to skyrocket and 41% are willing to pay more to combat global warming, but 47% are not, at all. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency sent a revised greenhouse gas emissions rule straight to the White House  on July 1, but most voters now think regulations must be approved by Congress first.

A majority, 51%, of Likely U.S. Voters believe EPA regulations should require congressional approval before they can be implemented. That’s up 8 points from 43% in late December, while only 28% disagree, and nearly as many – 21% – are not sure. And that’s not the only trend that should concern Al Gore.

Below is a table of results from Rasmussen tracking the cause of global warming, and what was a 9-point advantage has now shrunk to 2%. You can see that similar trends in times of economic hardship have resulted in bigger swings against the church of global warming.

Global warming is one of those issues that politics has completely corrupted. Contrary to popular culture and liberal media claims, science is not in agreement and American voters know it. What we do know for sure is that the planetary weather changes occur with or without human activity, and instead of bickering over which one of their friends benefits the most from taxpayer money we should be concerned as a species, not as partisans.