The percentage of individuals who believe that there is solid evidence that the world is getting warmer is down 20 points in just three years, to 57 percent. The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press conducted a poll of 1,500 adults which demonstrates a change in perceptions of and attitudes towards global warming. The percentage of people who say that there is strong scientific evidence that the Earth has gotten warmer over the past few decades is down from 71 percent in April of 2008 and from 77 percent in 2006 when Pew started asking the question. In addition, only 36 percent of respondents felt that human activities
(such as pollution from power plants, factories, and automobiles) are
behind a global temperature increase which is down from 47 percent from
2006 through 2008.

The steepest drop has occurred over the past year as Congress and the Obama administration have taken steps to control heat-trapping emissions for the first time and international negotiations for a new treaty to slow global warming have been under way. In addition, political divisions demonstrated in the poll indicate that it would prove quite tough to enact a law limiting pollution emissions. Three-quarters of Democrats believe that evidence of global warming solid, and nearly 50 percent believe the problem is serious but 57 percent of Republicans say there is no solid evidence that the planet is warming.

A vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is happening and the primary cause is a buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels.

Pew's director, Andrew Kohut explains that, "The priority that people
give to pollution and environmental concerns and a whole host of other
issues is down because of the economy and because of the focus on other
things. When the focus is on other things, people forget and see these
issues as less grave."

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