Only 33% Think Most Americans Blame Humans for Global Warming
President Obama, former Vice President Al Gore and the United Nations, among others, argue that global warming is chiefly caused by human activity. A plurality of voters recognize that this view is held mostly by liberals rather than by all Americans.
In fact, a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 33% of Likely U.S. Voters mistakenly think most Americans agree that global warming is caused primarily by human activity. Forty-six percent (46%) recognize that the view is held primarily by liberals (To see survey question wording, click here.).
In a series of several separate surveys since August, roughly 40% of Likely Voters consistently have blamed global warming primarily on human activity. A plurality has just as consistently found that planetary trends are chiefly to blame.
Last April, 59% believed that there is a significant disagreement within the scientific community over global warming. Most (54%) voters believe the news media makes global warming appear worse than it really is.
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 18-19, 2011 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 by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
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