Majority of Americans Still Believe Climate Change is Happening although Skepticism Increases

A Washington Post-ABC News poll released yesterday shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans continue to believe that global warming is happening, although skepticism has roughly doubled in the past two years. The trend in declining belief is consistent with the results of a Pew Research poll released last month.

While skepticism has increased somewhat across all political persuasions, the most dramatic increase in climate change rejection has been among conservatives. Again, this is consistent with the prior Pew Research poll, and indicative of the increasingly partisan light in which the issue has been cast.

Majorities also support the US taking action on global warming, although here too the margins have declined.