Poll Says Americans think Global Warming Serious

A recent poll by Rasmussen Reports shows 64 per cent of those who responded say global warming is very or somewhat serious.

A poll by Rasmussen Reports states 64 per cent of respondents say global warming is very or somewhat serious. While 41 per cent of respondents say global warming is caused mostly by human activity, 44 per cent believe it is part of long-term planetary trends. In this poll, the term global warming refers to an increase of the Earth’s average temperature. Some theories say that climate change might be the result of human-generated carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. In 2007, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report which states that global warming has been "very likely"—or 90 per cent certain—caused by humans burning fossil fuels. Polling Data How serious a problem is global warming? Jan. 2009 Dec. 2008 Apr. 2008 Very serious 41% 41% 47% Somewhat serious 23% 24% 26% Not very serious 18% 17% 16% Not at all serious 15% 16% 8% Not sure 2% 3% 4% Is global warming caused primarily by human activity or by long term planetary trends? Jan. 2009 Dec. 2008 Apr. 2008 Human activity 41% 43% 47% Long term planetary trends 44% 43% 34% Some other reason 7% 6% 8% Not sure 9% 8% 11%