Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
There is a host of ways Americans’ opinions about climate issues divide. The divisions start with views about the causes of global climate change. Nearly half of U.S. adults say climate change is due to human activity and a similar share says either that the Earth’s warming stems from natural causes or that there is […]
Scholars have long debated the role knowledge about and understanding of science plays in shaping people’s views on science issues. The common supposition is that when ordinary people have different views from those of experts that the differences stem from knowledge gaps: If people knew more, the argument goes, they would agree with the experts. […]
While many Americans say they are concerned about the environment, a much smaller share — roughly two-in-ten — sees themselves as making an effort to live out that concern all the time. People focused on everyday environmentalism in this way also tend to be concerned about the issues of climate change but their beliefs about […]