Americans Still Confused About Climate Science
A Minority Wonders if It’s Happening; a Majority Wants Kids to Learn More
SOURCE: AP/John McConnico
An iceberg is seen melting off the coast of Ammasalik, Greenland. A recent Yale poll, however, shows only 63 percent of Americans believe climate change is happening, but 75 percent believe we should teach our children more about it in schools.
Climate science has rarely been debated in the mainstream media as fiercely as it was over the past year. The stolen global warming emails from the University of East Anglia last fall have spurred additional attacks on climate science and scientists such as Penn State University Professor Michael Mann. Conservative cable and radio personalities have fanned these flames to reignite a public debate over climate science that nearly all mainstream scientists agree is settled.
But has all the debate and airtime affected how well Americans understand climate science? A recent study released by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication sought to find out.
Americans’ Knowledge of Climate Change, released October 12 and conducted from June 24 to July 22, questioned a group of 2,030 American adults on their knowledge of “how the climate system works, and the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to global warming.” The findings highlighted just how far we still have to go to educate our nation about climate science.
The study suggested that many misconceptions associated with climate change continue to persist. The study, for example, indicates that a majority of Americans believe incorrectly that the “climate” changes from year to year (62 percent) and that “weather” is the average climate conditions in a region (51 percent), suggesting that many Americans still confuse “climate” and “weather.” Only 57 percent of Americans have both heard of, and correctly understand what the greenhouse effect is, while only 45 percent know that carbon dioxide contributes to it.
A majority of Americans also incorrectly believes that the hole in the ozone layer, toxic wastes, aerosol spray cans, volcanic eruptions, the sun, and acid rain all contribute to global warming. These misconceptions are important to identify and understand because they lead people to question climate science and deny the impact of human-caused pollution on global warming— making it easier for climate science deniers to beat the drum of inaction.
The study also displayed the contradictory nature of Americans’ understanding of climate change. The study showed that people trust scientists and scientific organizations (such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association) as “a source of information about global warming,” but they don’t trust scientists to predict future climate change.
The most trusted sources of information were the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (78 percent), the National Science Foundation (74 percent), natural history museums (73 percent), and scientists (72 percent). The least trusted were environmental organizations (58 percent), television weather reports (50 percent), military leaders (42 percent), and the mainstream news media (35 percent). At the same time, only 37 percent of people surveyed said scientists’ models for predicting climate change are reliable, and only 39 percent think that scientists can predict future climate.
Another interesting contradiction is that while 63 percent of those surveyed acknowledged the major role that natural climate variations have played in the collapse of past civilizations, only 27 percent say that global warming is either extremely (7 percent) or very (20 percent) important to them personally. This would seem to suggest that Americans understand the power of climate to affect society broadly, but still don’t recognize the myriad ways that those effects impact their lives.
Overall, 63 percent of Americans believe that global warming is happening, according to the study. This is down from 85 percent in March of 2006, according to a November 2009 Washington Post-ABC News Poll.
But despite this recent decline, public support for climate action remained high in 2009 and 2010 amid the attacks on climate science. A June 2010 NBC/Wall Street Journal survey found that respondents favored comprehensive energy and carbon pollution reduction legislation by 63 percent to 31 percent—a two to one margin. Even as prospects for a climate bill dimmed in the Senate, an August 2010 Benenson poll showed support for alternative approaches to capping global warming pollution.
When this poll asked whether “the government should regulate greenhouse gases from sources like power plants and refineries in an effort to reduce global warming,” 60 percent of respondents support it and just 34 percent oppose it. And 54 percent say they are confident in the Environmental Protection Agency when it comes to regulating greenhouse gases while 42 percent are not. Finally, when asked about a bill that “would suspend the EPA’s power to regulate greenhouse gases for two years,” just 37 percent support it, while 53 percent oppose it.
There is support for EPA regulation of greenhouses across the political spectrum. Fifty-four percent of independents supported it—with just 35 percent opposed. Even Republicans are evenly split, with 45 percent supporting and 43 percent opposing it.
The upshot: Support for climate action among the public has stayed remarkably strong throughout 2009 and 2010—despite record ad spending and lobbying from Big Oil and dirty energy friends to oppose climate and clean energy legislation.
Fortunately, those surveyed by the Yale Project also offered a suggestion for how to address the knowledge gap and put the misconceptions to rest. Participants were given the statement, “Schools should teach our children about the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to global warming” and asked to either strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with the statement. Seventy-five percent agreed (35 percent strongly) while only 25 percent disagreed (11 percent strongly).
More Americans believe in the need to teach our children more about global warming in schools than believe global warming is happening. It is perhaps the study’s most powerful finding. This suggests that while many Americans may still be skeptical or confused by the details of climate change, a vast majority recognize that their children need to learn more.
Ultimately, while the dip in belief about climate change since 2006 is disheartening, this study is hopeful because nearly two-thirds of Americans still believe global warming is real. Most support clean energy and climate action as well. Those who understand the science surrounding these issues and those who know the serious challenges a changing climate will continue to present must continue to speak up and not be deterred by climate change science deniers. A majority of Americans demands it.
Brett Daley is an Intern with the Center for American Progress’s Energy Opportunity Department.
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