Latest Presidential Tracking Polls 2012

Fewer Republicans Believing in Global Warming

12/7/2009, by Proloy Bhatta

HIGHLIGHTS

Belief among Republicans has dropped but not from Democrats.
45% believe global warming is due to human causes.
75% of Americans still believe we should reduce our carbon emissions

According to CNN in a poll they conducted Dec 2-3, those saying global warming is an unproven theory has jumped 8 points since last year.

CNN says that "belief in global warming sinks". The word "sinks" is an alarmist analysis of these results.

It is a little unfair to compare the results of a global warming poll taken at a time when "climate gate" is in the news with any prior poll.

Many of those that are currently in doubt about global warming are possibly being swayed by recent news stories -- and there's no guarantee that they have permanently been convinced of it being an unproven theory. They ought to try taking a poll a few months from now once "climate gate" is resolved before jumping to conclusions.

But it would be fair to say that the belief has "sunk among Republicans" because nuch of the decline in support has come from them -- Democrats are unchanged. But CNN concludes that this is because a Democrat is in the White House.

"The growing skepticism among Republicans, with no matching shift among Democrats, suggests that the changes measured in this poll may be a reaction to having a Democrat in the White House rather than a shift in underlying attitudes toward global warming," said Keating Holland, CNN polling director.

68% of Americans still believe global warming is fact. It is just that only 45% believe that it is due to human causes -- down from 54% last year.

Despite all of this "doubt", 75% of Americans still believe we should reduce our carbon emissions -- down from 82% two years ago.

Here is the link.