If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

LIFESTYLE

Big Storms Yes, Global Warming No

It’s less than one month into winter, and already strong blizzards have bombarded the East and West Coasts. But most Americans don't see global warming as the culprit.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds, in fact, that just 32% of Adults think global warming is causing the increase in the number of major storms like the recent blizzards. A plurality (45%) says global warming is not the reason for the recent storms, and another 23% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

However, 41% do think it's more likely that the Earth is going through global warming than that the planet is about to enter a new mini-Ice Age. Seventeen percent (17%) say it's more likely that we're entering a new Ice Age. Twenty-nine percent (29%) see no major climate change coming, and 13% are undecided.

Voters continue to take global warming seriously, but concern has fallen since November 2009 when the so-called ‘Climategate’ scandal broke, raising questions about the reliability of pro-global warming research.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 

The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on December 30, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted byPulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Want to read more?

Become a Rasmussen Reader to read the article

Have an account?

Log In

Become a Reader

Subscribe

Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.

We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.

Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.

To learn more about our methodology, click here.