June 26, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A vast majority of people in the United States think the world is warmer now than a century ago, according to a poll by Knowledge Networks and Stanford University. 85 per cent of respondents think global temperatures have probably increased over the past 100 years.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A vast majority of people in the United States think the world is warmer now than a century ago, according to a poll by Knowledge Networks and Stanford University. 85 per cent of respondents think global temperatures have probably increased over the past 100 years.

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. Earlier this year, 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.

In 1998, several countries agreed to the Kyoto Protocol, a proposed amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The agreement commits nations to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The U.S. has not ratified the treaty.

On Jun. 24, more than 200 city mayors across the U.S. pledged to fight the "threat of global warming" together. California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the initiative, saying, "Whether it is (New York City mayor Michael) Bloomberg using hybrids to create the largest and cleanest fleet of taxis in the world, or (Los Angeles mayor Antonio) Villaraigosa transforming the L.A. Department of Water and Power to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, your leadership is more important than ever. (...) By taking action to make sure the people in your communities are doing their part for the environment, you are sending a powerful message to the federal government and to the rest of the world."

Polling Data

You may have heard about the idea that the world's temperature may have been going up slowly over the past 100 years. What is your personal opinion on this—do you think this has probably been happening, or do you think it probably hasn't been happening?

Probably has been happening	85%
Probably hasn't been happening	15%

Source: Knowledge Networks / Stanford University
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,491 American adults, conducted from Apr. 13 to Apr. 19, 2007. No margin of error was provided.

Complete Poll (PDF)

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