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Americans' Global Warming Beliefs and Attitudes in January 2010
A January 2010 survey by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication reveals a sharp decline in American public concern and belief in global warming since 2008. Belief that global warming is occurring fell to 57%, and those worried about it dropped to 50%. Trust in information sources, including scientists and news media, also declined, while perceptions of scientific disagreement increased.
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Document type: Executive summary
Americans Support Strong Climate Energy Policies
The report finds that a large majority of Americans, across political affiliations, support federal climate and energy policies such as renewable energy research and carbon dioxide regulation, even as general concern about global warming has declined. While support for cap-and-trade is sensitive to cost increases, it increases significantly if households receive offsets to cover higher energy costs.
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Document type: Executive summary
RACE, ETHNICITY and Public Responses to Climate Change
The report finds that Hispanics, African Americans, and other minority groups are often as supportive of, or more supportive of, national climate and energy policies than white Americans, challenging the perception that climate change is primarily a concern of the white upper-middle class.
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Document type: Report
Climate Change in the American Mind
The report details a survey of 1,001 American adults conducted between December 2009 and January 2010. It tracks shifts in public perception of global warming, including a decline in the percentage of people who believe global warming is happening (from 71% in 2008 to 57% in 2010) and an increase in those who believe it is not happening (from 10% to 20%). The data also explores perceived causes, the perceived level of scientific consensus, personal and global risks, and trust in various information sources.
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Document type: Report
Climate Change in the American Mind
The June 2010 survey of 1,024 American adults indicates that 61% believe global warming is happening, though 45% believe there is significant disagreement among scientists on the matter. While 50% attribute global warming to human activities, a large portion of the population expresses uncertainty about personal impact and the ability of humans to successfully reduce it. Trust in scientists remains high, while trust in mainstream news media is lower. The data shows a trend of fluctuating belief in global warming and varying levels of concern for future generations and the environment compared to previous years.
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Document type: Report
Climate Change in the American Mind
The June 2010 survey of 1,024 American adults reveals a strong public preference for developing clean energy and protecting the environment over economic growth. While a majority support regulating carbon dioxide and funding renewable energy research, there is significant political polarization regarding international treaties and gasoline taxes. The data shows that 65% of respondents believe the U.S. should reduce greenhouse gas emissions regardless of other countries' actions, and 56% believe environmental protection improves economic growth.
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Document type: Research paper
SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY IN AFRICA
The document provides a comprehensive overview of social accountability in Africa, defining it as a framework for citizens to demand and enforce accountability from power-holders. It combines a broad analysis of public attitudes via Afrobarometer data with specific case studies from South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar. The text examines various tools—such as the Local Governance Barometer, budget monitoring, and the African Peer Review Mechanism—and highlights the critical role of political will, media engagement, and the necessity of an enabling legal environment for these initiatives to succeed.
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Document type: Report
Climate Change in the American Mind 2009
The survey indicates that while the economy is the top priority for Americans, a majority still view global warming as a high national priority and personally important. There is strong support for U.S. action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including unilateral action and acceptance of economic costs, as well as high support for renewable energy research.
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Document type: Executive summary
global warming’s six americas 2009
The report identifies six distinct audience segments within the U.S. adult population—the Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive—that vary significantly in their level of concern, belief in the reality of climate change, and willingness to take action. While the Alarmed and Concerned are convinced of the threat and support aggressive national policies, the Doubtful and Dismissive either deny the phenomenon or believe it is caused by natural changes. The analysis highlights that communication strategies must be tailored to these specific psychological and political profiles to effectively motivate climate action.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
global warming’s six americas 2009
The report identifies six distinct audience segments within the U.S. adult population—the Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive—that vary significantly in their level of concern and engagement with climate change. These groups are distinguished by their certainty that global warming is occurring, their perceived risk to themselves and future generations, and their support for specific national policies. While the Alarmed and Concerned are most likely to support aggressive carbon reduction and engage in consumer activism, the Doubtful and Dismissive are more likely to attribute warming to natural causes and oppose government regulation. The analysis highlights that effective climate communication requires tailored messaging based on these psychological, cultural, and political differences.
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Document type: Report
Is Support for Traditionally Designed Communities Growing? Evidence From Two National Surveys
The document introduces a study designed to evaluate public support for traditionally designed communities—characterized by mixed residential and commercial land uses and pedestrian connectivity—as an alternative to the dominant suburban development model.
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Document type: Research paper
American Support for Local Action on Global Warming
The document outlines a research project conducted via two national telephone surveys in September 2007 to assess American public support for local government actions to mitigate global warming. It argues that local governments are critical players in reducing greenhouse gas emissions because urban areas are the primary sources of these gases and local authorities control key levers such as building codes, zoning, transportation, and electricity production.
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Document type: Executive summary
American Opinions on Global Warming
The 2007 survey reveals that while 71% of Americans believe global warming is happening and 62% view it as an urgent threat, there is a significant gap in the perception of scientific consensus, with only 48% believing such a consensus exists. Public opinion on the cause of global warming leans toward human influence, with 69% attributing it mainly or equally to human activities. However, personal worry is split evenly (50%) between those who are concerned and those who are not, largely because many perceive the threat as affecting distant locations rather than their own local communities. Notably, the belief that global warming is already or will soon have dangerous impacts on people rose by 20 percentage points between 2004 and 2007.
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Document type: Executive summary
Research Note Polish Public Opinion on Energy Security
The document reports that a majority of the Polish public considers energy security the most critical energy-related issue, viewing the transition to renewable energy as a means to enhance national security and reduce reliance on foreign natural gas imports from both Russia and the US.
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Document type: Briefing
Europe on Fire: Wave 9 of the Global Tracker of Public Opinion
The report finds that while global attitudes toward climate change remain largely stable, there is a distinct increase in concern and perceived impact within Europe, where salience rose in France, Italy, and Spain, and more people reported noticing heatwaves and droughts.
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Document type: Report
climate change in the american mind
A survey of 2,164 American adults in 2008 reveals that while the economy is the top national priority, a majority of Americans view global warming as a serious threat and support a wide range of climate and energy policies, including renewable energy research and carbon regulation. Despite this support, political and consumer activism remains low, largely due to a lack of information on how to act. Most Americans trust scientists and family as information sources but express uncertainty about whether humanity will successfully reduce global warming.
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Document type: Report
Microsoft Word - Fracking_In_the_American_Mind_2012.doc
The report finds that a majority of Americans in 2012 were unfamiliar with fracking and undecided about whether to support or oppose it. Among those who had formed an opinion, views were split, though a slim majority viewed the practice as 'bad'. Support and opposition varied significantly by gender, age, political affiliation, and geographic region, with conservatives and older males more supportive, and liberals, younger people, and residents of the Northeast and West more opposed. Associations with fracking were primarily divided between environmental concerns (linked to opposition) and economic or energy supply benefits (linked to support).
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Document type: Report
For the first time, the Alarmed are now the largest of Global Warming’s Six Americas
A survey of U.S. adults conducted between 2014 and 2019 shows a significant increase in the proportion of Americans who are 'Alarmed' about global warming, rising to 31% by November 2019. This group now outnumbers the 'Dismissive' segment by more than 3 to 1, while the 'Dismissive' and 'Doubtful' segments have both decreased to 10% each.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Trump Voters & Global Warming
The report finds that a significant portion of Donald Trump's 2016 voters hold views on climate change that diverge from his public positions. Nearly half believe global warming is happening, and many support international agreements, carbon taxes, and renewable energy deployment, despite also supporting fossil fuel extraction on public lands.
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Document type: Report
climate change in the californian mind
A 2013 survey of 800 Californians reveals high levels of belief in global warming (79%) and its human cause (58%), with significant concern for its impact on the state's wildfires, heat waves, and droughts. While there is strong support for clean energy and government action, many residents remain uncertain about humanity's collective ability to successfully reduce global warming.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report