New poll shows declining majority believes in global warming

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that 72 percent of respondents believe global warming is occurring, compared to 80 percent in the summer of 2008 and 84 percent in a poll taken in April of 2007. It’s the second poll in recent weeks that shows a drop in this view.
 
The new poll found that 52 percent support a cap-and-trade system to limit U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, compared to 43 percent in opposition – levels essentially unchanged from the same news outlets' surveys in August and June of this year.

However, in a July 2008 poll, the support for such a plan – which is at the heart of House and Senate climate bills – was at 59 percent and opposition at 34 percent. The new poll of 1,001 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points and was taken in mid-November.

The poll also shows that 21 percent of respondents believe the U.S. should take action only if other industrial powers like India and China take commensurate steps to cut emissions, while 55 percent believe the U.S. should act even if other nations do less.
 
A poll conducted almost eight weeks ago by the Pew Center for the People & the Press showed that 57 percent of respondents see solid evidence of global warming, down from 71 percent in an April 2008 survey. Just 36 percent attributed it to human activity in Pew's recent survey, even though this is the dominant view among climate scientists.