Fewer than three in 10 Americans (28%) say the energy situation in the U.S. is “very serious,” one of the lowest figures in Gallup’s history of asking the question. While this figure has varied widely over the past few decades, the percentage of Americans who feel the energy situation is […] Read more »
Views on Climate Change Stable After Extreme Winter
Although climate scientists have been in the news describing this winter as a strong signal that global warming is producing more extreme weather, Americans are no more likely today (55%) than in the past two years to believe the effects of global warming are occurring. CONT. Lydia Saad, Gallup Read more »
Americans Split on Support for Fracking in Oil, Natural Gas
The practice of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” has emerged as a divisive issue across the U.S., reflected in Americans’ opinions about it; 40% of Americans say they favor the procedure, while 40% oppose it, and a substantial 19% do not have an opinion. This is amid the Obama administration last […] Read more »
About Half Say Obama Doing Good Job on Environment
As President Barack Obama works to make environmental protection a key issue in the final two years of his administration, about half of Americans (52%) say he is doing a “good job” of protecting the environment. They are less likely to say he is doing a good job of improving […] Read more »
Worries About Terrorism, Race Relations Up Sharply
Out of 15 domestic issues, Americans’ concerns about terrorism and race relations have risen most sharply over the past year. The percentage of Americans who worry “a great deal” about the possibility of a terrorist attack (51%) climbed 12 percentage points from 2014 to 2015, while concerns about race relations […] Read more »
The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change as a Gateway Belief: Experimental Evidence
… Using national data (N = 1104) from a consensus-message experiment, we find that increasing public perceptions of the scientific consensus is significantly and causally associated with an increase in the belief that climate change is happening, human-caused and a worrisome threat. In turn, changes in these key beliefs are […] Read more »