From the Beeb:
The public believes the effects of global warming on the climate are not as bad as politicians and scientists claim, a poll has suggested.
The Ipsos Mori poll of 2,032 adults - interviewed between 14 and 20 June - found 56% believed scientists were still questioning climate change.There was a feeling the problem was exaggerated to make money, it found.
The Royal Society said most climate scientists believed humans were having an “unprecedented” effect on climate.
The survey suggested that terrorism, graffiti, crime and dog mess were all of more concern than climate change.
Graffiti? Dog crap? Those things worry Brits more than does that piece of science fiction known as global “warming” (or “climate change”, depending on the time of the year).
I live in the UK and in my experience nothing like 56% of people think that climate change is not real. The question in the survey, incidentally, is badly phrased. Science continually questions all hypotheses and theories. So to have people say they “believe” scientists are questioning global warming is meaningless. I’m a chemist and frequently people I meet who are not scientists or philosophers of science or generally interested in science have little idea about what makes a good scientific hypothesis and how testing it is done. As for the reliability of opinion polls, you might want to take a look here: http://bluerat.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/how-opinion-polls-influence-your-opinion-not-measure-it/
Comment by bluerat — July 30, 2007 @ 12:02 am