Climate change affects people differently, depending in part on where in the United States they live, according to a new study. Residents of Washington, D.C., were found to be the most concerned with global warming and other human-driven influences on the environment.
Nationwide, around 52 percent of Americans report they worry about global warming. In the nation's capital, 74 percent of residents say they feel worry over the issue, compared with just 38 out of 100 in Pickett County, Tennessee, who express the same feeling. Among New England states, residents of New Hampshire report the least amount of concern over anthropogenic climate change.
The new statistical model of opinions about global warming can be sorted by state, congressional district, counties, or by city. This provides a greater degree of detail than available in any similar previous study. Local surveys are time-consuming and expensive. Because of this, most studies of this type have only polled people on the national level.
"Most of the action to reduce carbon pollution and prepare for climate change impacts is happening at the state and local levels of American society. Yet elected officials, the media, educators, and advocates currently know little about the levels of public and political will for climate action at these sub-national levels," said Anthony Leiserowitz from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
In several states, opinions varied greatly by county. Just 39 percent of respondents in King County, Texas, reported they are worried about the issue, a concern echoed by 61 out of 100 people in Travis.
A massive national database reporting opinions on the issue from more than 13,000 respondents was utilized as the basis of this new study. This polling included geographic and demographic information, allowing researchers to detail attitudes by region. Investigators also conducted additional polling in two cities and four states, finding the results of these smaller surveys were within three to four points of data taken from the national figures.
One possible reason opinions may exhibit such variation around the nation may have to do with demographics, including race. Latinos were found to be the most concerned with the problem, and this viewpoint was seen in areas with a large Latino population.
Around 77 percent of Americans were found to be in favor of public funding of renewable energy sources, while 74 out of 100 support regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant.
A map breaking down the results of the study by locality and specific questions may be viewed on the Web site of Yale University.
Photo: Mikael Miettinen | Flickr
