---
title: "Chilling Numbers"
description: "The percentage of Americans who believe there is solid evidence supporting global warming has fallen from 71% in April 2008 to 57% today."
date: "2009-11-10"
authors:
  - name: "Pew Research Center"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2009/11/10/chilling-numbers/"
---

# Chilling Numbers

The percentage of Americans who say there is solid evidence the earth is warming has fallen sharply over the last year. In an April 2008 survey, 71% said there was solid evidence of global warming, and almost half of Americans (47%) said it was the result of human activity. In an October survey, however, just 57% of Americans said there was solid global warming evidence, and only 36% of the public said it was the result of human activity. While the declining acceptance of global warming evidence has come from across the political spectrum — even among Democrats the percentage seeing strong evidence of global warming has fallen from 91% in 2006 to 71% in 2009 — the decline has been precipitous among independents in the last year. While 75% of independents said there is solid evidence the earth is warming in 2008, only a small majority (53%) continue to see such evidence now. Republicans have always been more cynical about global warming evidence but doubters have mounted quickly in recent years, after a very slight increase in support of global warming evidence in 2007. Fully 62% of Republicans said there is solid evidence the earth is warming in 2007, but currently just slightly more than a third (35%) agree. [Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/1386/cap-and-trade-global-warming-opinion)