Climate Change Convinces More Americans, According to Duke's Poll

Extreme drought, blizzards and flooding have all made Americans think twice about climate change, according to a new poll. Duke University's online survey recently found that there was far more support for regulating greenhouse gas emissions than in previous years.

The survey, which included 1,089 adults and which was conducted from Jan. 16 to Jan. 22, found that 50 percent of Americans say that climate change is definitely occurring. An additional 34 percent said that climate change is probably occurring. Yet what is perhaps more interesting is that slightly more than half, 54 percent, believe that climate change is primarily caused by human activities.

These aren't the only findings, though. A whopping 64 percent said that they strongly or somewhat favor regulating greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, factories and cars, and requiring utilities to generate more power from "clean" low-carbon sources such as wind or solar energy.

"Whether in response to extreme weather events like mega-storm Sandy or the improved economy, public opinion has clearly rebounded from its low point of a couple years ago," said co-author Frederick Mayer, an associate professor at Duke's Sanford School of Public Policy, in an interview with USA Today.

Not everyone wants to tackle climate change, though. As in previous surveys, the Duke poll found strong partisan differences in the perceived seriousness of the problem. Half of Democrats in the poll said it was very serious. Only 35 percent of independents thought the same, while a mere 17 percent of Republicans agreed.

As more serious issues associated with climate change occur, such as droughts and flooding, more people are standing up and taking notice. This latest poll shows that, while there are certainly naysayers, more Americans are admitting that climate change is an issue that needs action.