It is easy to express concern about the environment, but when push comes to shove, people are not always willing to pay the price. Even Americans who are sympathetic to environmental concerns do not believe everything they hear. Many recognize that there are still extremists and alarmists out there. Four out of ten of those surveyed say environmental activist groups exaggerate the environmental threats facing our planet in order to gain public attention. The media is only slightly more credible.
Skepticism also extends to some degree to environmental science.
For instance, scientists have warned for years that the earth's atmosphere is gradually getting warmer as a result of air pollution. But one in four Americans do not believe that global warming is a scientifically proven fact. For further information, including demographic breakouts of the results presented in this report, contact your Wirthlin Worldwide Senior Research Executive. Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans who worry most about pocketbook issues remains low, thanks to a continued strong U.S. economy. When we ask Americans if they think the U.S. is going in the right direction, or off on the wrong track, results remain statistically unchanged over the last few months.