Public Opinion Analysis –
By Glynn Wilson –

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the eve of Earth Day 2023, public opinion on the very real problem of global warming appears stagnant. What will it take to get past the majority of 60 percent of Americans who consistently say global warming and its effects on the climate are already here, causing disasters?

Are some people just deaf and blind, or are they being misled by politicians and right-wing news channels which seem intent on protecting the petrochemical lobby to the detriment of their own lives and that of their families?

This finding has been consistent since 2016, and 62 percent of Americans also say they believe that an increase in the Earth’s temperature over the past century is caused by pollution from human activities — not natural, cyclical changes in the global environment.

But less than half of Americans, 46 percent, think global warming will pose a serious threat to their way of life in their own lifetime, and only 39 say they worry a great deal about global warming, according the latest Gallup poll on the subject.

There are still 17 percent of people who say the effects of global warming will not happen in their lifetime, and 12 percent who don’t believe it will ever happen.

What channels are they watching? I think we know the answer to that. There are certain politicians and pundits who make it a point to lie to the American people to get their votes and money, as demonstrated by the lawsuit against Fox News by Dominion that settled out of court this week for $787.5 million.

“Public concern and certainty about global warming was generally less pronounced at the start of this century, from 2001 to 2015, than it is today,” Gallup says.

But with wildfires, powerful storms and other disasters growing in number and intensity in 2016 and 2017, Gallup says: “That intensity burst coincided with a number of environmental and political events that could have played a role in the change. Among these were unusually warm winters in 2016 and 2017 and the emergence of Donald Trump as a political figure.”

His denial of the problem and anti-environmental policies caused Democrats and independents to fear the intensity of the problems would grow worse under his administration, Gallup concludes. “Since 2017, U.S. concern about global warming may have remained elevated due to reports of there being more extreme weather events as well as the continued global (media) focus on climate change.”

This year’s slight dip in the percentage of Americans worried a great deal about global warming seems to coincide with larger declines in worry about several other environmental problems such as air and water pollution, Gallup says, mainly due to diminished worry among Democrats, reflecting increased confidence that the problem is being addressed by President Joe Biden and the Democrats in the Senate.

The data proves it. Democrats’ worry about global warming jumped from 57 percent in 2016 to 66 percent in 2017, after Trump took office, and peaked at 78 percent in 2020, coming down to 68 percent at the start of Biden’s presidency and is now 65 percent according the latest polls.

“Independents’ level of worry has followed a similar path over this period, while Republicans have grown less worried,” Gallup says.

Meanwhile, Democrats are convinced that global warming is a problem, with 85 percent saying the effects of global warming have already begun to happen. About 60 percent of independents agree, but only a third of Republicans do.

While 88 of Democrats attribute the rise in the Earth’s temperature over the past century to pollution from human activities, and 66 of independents agree, only 29 of Republicans admit it, a new low.

American views on global warming also differ by gender, age and education.

Women and college graduates are more likely to see global warming as a problem caused by human activities, and young adults (aged 18 to 34) are more likely to worry a great deal about the problem happening in their lifetimes and say it’s mainly due to human activity.

Until nearly all Americans come around to agreement on this most important problem, along with the people of the world, the problem will only grow worse and the disasters will continue.

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My own academic research proves that press coverage and the media have a profound affect on public opinion on the environment: Public Attitudes and Press Coverage of the Environment, 1968-1996

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