U.S. public still unconvinced on climate change.

• Author: Block, Ben
• Position: EYE ON EARTH - Brief article

Fewer U.S. citizens consider climate change to be a "serious threat" compared to two years ago even as scientific evidence demonstrates that the problem has become increasingly severe, according to a nationwide opinion poll.

The survey, by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, polled 1,500 telephone respondents in September and October 2009. It suggests that 65 percent of the U.S. public considers climate change to be a "very serious" or "somewhat serious" problem. This marks a decline from January 2007, when 77 percent of participants said they were seriously concerned about climate change.

The survey suggests that anti-climate-change campaigns are not adequately explaining the latest science. U.S. residents have also been subjected to more sophisticated messages from conservative media, fossil fuel-dependent industries, and politicians who question the scientific certainty of climate change, especially...