The Chilling Effect of Winter 2013 on American Acceptance of Global Warming

Abstract

After a period of growing public acceptance in the United States that global warming is occurring, the latest version of the National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE) provides evidence of a modest decline in the number of Americans who believe there is evidence that temperatures on Earth are rising. This small decline in acceptance of global warming among residents of the United States appears to be related to their perceptions and experiences with a winter and spring that included below-average temperatures in many parts of the country. These are among the latest findings from the Spring 2013 NSEE from The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at the University of Michigan and The Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion.