http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2006/2006-03-15-04.asp
NEWTON CENTRE, Massachusetts, March 15, 2006 (ENS) – A majority of
Americans of all political beliefs are dissatisfied with what they
perceive as weak federal leadership on global warming and energy
issues, according to a public opinion poll released today. At the
same time they support the growing number of state and local efforts
to rein in climate change problems and to tap alternative fuel
sources, the poll found.
The national survey was conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation
on behalf of the Massachusetts based nonprofit and nonpartisan think
tank Civil Society Institute (CSI) and 40MPG.org, which is a project
of the CSI think tank.
The survey found that about three out of five Americans (58 percent)
are more concerned about global warming today than they were two
years ago – including 76 percent of liberals and 57 percent of
independents, but only 42 percent of conservatives.
Only about three in 10 Americans (29 percent) say there is “no
change” in their view about global warming.
The CSI/40mpg.org survey also found that more than three out of four
Americans (76 percent) – including two out of three conservatives –
think the federal government is not doing “enough to address global
warming and develop alternative energy sources in order to reduce our
dependence on foreign oil.”
power plant
A Santee Cooper coal-fired power plant in South Carolina. Burning
fossil fuels such as coal produces emissions of greenhouse gases like
carbon dioxide. (Photo credit Power)
At the same time, more than four out five Americans (83 percent) –
including 77 percent of conservatives – said that “in the absence of
federal leadership” today, they support efforts by “state and local
officials to curb global warming and promote new energy resources.”
Survey results are based on telephone interviews conducted with 1,029
adults (512 men and 517 women) aged 18 and over living in private
households in the continental United States.
Interviewing was completed by Opinion Research Corporation during the
period of February 23-26, 2006. Completed interviews of the survey
adults were weighted by four variables – age, sex, geographic region,
and race, to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total
adult population. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage
points for the complete sample of 1,029 adults. Smaller sub-groups
will have larger error margins.
The pollsters found that 77 percent of Americans think that
“developing alternative or renewable energy sources and reducing U.S.
dependence on foreign oil should be President Bush’s top priority for
the balance of his term in office.”
Eighty-three percent of Americans – including 72 percent of
conservatives and 85 percent of independents – would like to see more
attention paid to global warming during the 2006 Congressional
elections and the 2008 Presidential elections.
Civil Society Institute President Pam Solo said, “Americans want the
President and Congress to take decisive leadership steps on climate
change. Right now, state and local officials are filling a massive
leadership vacuum in the absence of meaningful federal action. The
most important step to solving climate change is clean, safe and
renewable energy. The time for diagnosis is long past. We know we
have to kick the oil habit.”
Opinion Research Corporation researcher Graham Hueber said, “One of
the most striking aspects of these findings is the widespread and
decidedly bipartisan nature of the concerns about inaction on global
warming and energy solutions. We don’t see the party-line
polarization that is so evident on many other national issues. This
survey will give no comfort at all to politicians who think they can
drag their feet on climate change and energy solutions.”
Entitled “Global Warming & Alternative Energy: A Leadership Survey,”
the CSI/40mpg.org poll also found that 83 percent of those polled
support “more leadership from the federal government to reduce the
pollution linked to global warming, encourage new approaches to
promoting conservation and spark the development of renewable or
alternative energy sources”.
The level of support for that statement is similar across political
lines, including 81 percent of conservatives, 83 percent of
independents and 88 percent of liberals.
traffic
Vehicles stuck in traffic emit greenhouse gases linked to global
warming. (Photo credit unknown)
A growing number of Americans think “it is patriotic to drive a more
fuel-efficient vehicle since it requires less fuel to run, and
therefore, can help to reduce U.S. dependency on Middle Eastern oil.”
Today, 71 percent of Americans agree with that statement, including
66 percent of conservatives. When the same question was posed in a
40mpg.org survey released on March 17, 2005, only two thirds of
Americans agreed with the statement, including 57 percent of
conservatives.
Three out of four Americans (74 percent) – including 79 percent of
conservatives – agree that, “Growing concerns about the reliability
of Middle Eastern oil now make it difficult to separate our national
security policy – keeping America safe – from our environmental
policy – preserving the environment through conservation and the
development of renewable or alternative energy resources.”
More than four out of five Americans (83 percent) told pollsters that
they support “federal scientists and other experts” who “have been
barred from speaking out on such topics as global warming – or
strongly discouraged from doing so.”
Most Americans – including 73 percent of conservatives and 87 percent
of independents – back “whistleblowers who alert the public to
potential problems that their superiors may want to keep hidden.”
Nearly nine out of 10 Americans (87 percent) agree that U.S. leaders
should “take steps to reduce carbon pollution now and speed up the
conversion to renewable energy and other alternatives.”
For full survey findings, go to http://www.civilsocietyinstitute.org
and http://www.40mpg.org.
The websites also feature a new CSI report, “Policy Abhors a Vacuum,”
which outlines steps that more than 40 states, and almost 200
municipalities are taking to address global warming concerns.
Launched in March 2005, the 40mpg.org Web site allows visitors to
determine how much they would save by getting 40 miles to the gallon;
compare and contrast one vehicle’s fuel-efficiency ratings with those
of others; monitor how individual members of Congress weighed in on
the most recent fuel-efficiency standard votes; contact automakers to
speak out in favor of more fuel-efficient vehicles; and send a letter
to the editor of a local newspaper urging the adoption of a 40 mpg
fuel-efficiency standard.