People tend to believe what they see with their own eyes. Extreme weather events in the US are helping people to see the veracity of climate change. Follow-up interviews revealed that his burgeoning understanding is being driven by rising temperatures, floods, polar ice melt and drought. This is consistent with AP polling in 2006. Less than a year after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, 85 percent thought temperatures were rising.
Overall, 78 percent of those surveyed said they thought temperatures were rising and 80 percent called it a serious problem. That's up slightly from 2009, when 75 percent thought global warming was occurring and just 73 percent thought it was a serious problem.
Nearly half, 49 percent, of those surveyed called global warming not just serious but "very serious," up from 42 percent in 2009.
With 57 percent of Americans saying that they believe the US government should do something about global warming, this may breathe life into hopes for national legislation. The number of Americans who want the government to act is up 5 percent from polls taken three years earlier.
While Americans may want the President to act only 45 percent of those surveyed think he will take major action to fight climate change in his second term, 41 percent who don't think he will do anything at all.
There is still a large divide that separates Democrats and Republicans. A total of 83 percent of Democrats and 70 percent of Republicans say the world is getting warmer. And 77 percent of independents say temperatures are rising.
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