Older people, Republicans, least likely to believe in climate change
In spite of overwhelming scientific evidence that mankind is heating up the planet, only 47% of Americans think it's actually happening, and among Republicans the number is only 27%, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center. What's more remarkable is that the percentage who believe is actually down from a year and a half ago.
Overall, 71% of Americans think the planet is heating but a slim majority don't think it has anything to do with us. Republicans are far less likely to believe in human-caused global warming than Democrats (27% vs 58%), and older people and those living in rural areas are more prone to denial than their younger, urban counterparts.
The survey also found that only 49% of Republicans surveyed think the earth is getting warmer at all, astonishing in light of the measurable facts that 11 of the hottest years on record have been in the the last 13, and 2007 was the 2nd warmest year ever. As recently as January of 2007, 62% of Republicans were at least able to recognize that was the climate was changing, even if they disagreed with the scientific consensus on the reason behind it.
So what's going on here? How is it that in spite of the fact that man-made climate change has been confirmed or endorsed by every major scientific organization in the world from NASA to the Royal Meteorological Society to the Federation of American Scientists, more people have decided that it simply isn't happening?
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