Nearly one-out-of-four voters (23%) say it is at least somewhat likely that global warming will destroy human civilization within the next century. Five percent (5%) say it’s very likely.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 66% say it’s not likely that civilization will be destroyed by the year 2100. That includes 27% who say it is not at all likely.

Republicans and unaffiliated voters strongly reject the notion that global warming will end human civilization, but Democrats are more evenly divided—38% think that disastrous outcome is likely while 46% disagree.

Overall, voters are evenly divided over whether there’s an immediate need to take action on global warming. Forty-one percent (41%) believe there is, but the same number (41%) say we can wait a few years to see if the problem is real. Sixty-two percent (62%) of Democrats say we must take immediate action, but 64% of GOP voters say it’s all right to wait a few years. A plurality of unaffiliated voters give the edge to waiting.

One reason for the voter caution is that 46% believe giving government greater control over the economy to fight global warming will be bad for America. Just 35% believe it will be good for the country. Twenty percent (20%) are not sure.

Twenty-nine percent (29%) of all voters think a period of dangerous global warming is the most likely climate expectation. Five percent (5%) predict a dangerous ice age but most (52%) expect something in between. Most Democrats expect a period of dangerous global warming while most Republicans and unaffiliated voters expect something between the two extremes.

Forty-five percent (45%) of voters acknowledge there is conflict between economic growth and environmental protection.

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Sixty-four percent (64%) say global warming is a serious problem, down slightly from a survey last April. But voters increasingly regard it as the product of long-term planetary trends rather than human activity.

Former Vice President Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for his anti-global warming efforts, but just 36% of voters believe he knows what he’s talking about.

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