Oh this is funny. There’s not even any Gore involved.
We’ve seen that man-made global warming has taken some hits in the opinion polls lately, and that its 10 minutes of fame may be over, but sharp eyed blogger Dave R. at Care2 spotted this zinger. I’ve posted the graphs and tables from the polls with highlights below.
Dave R writes:
In the United States, more people believe that houses can be haunted by the dead than believe that the living can cause climate change. Is this simply a scary Halloween tale or our frightening future?
The latest Pew poll on global warming shows a large drop in the percentage of Americans who say there is solid evidence that global temperatures are rising, from 71% down to only 57% in the last 18 months. And global warming due to human activity? The overall numbers have declined from 47% to 36%. To put this in perspective, a Gallup poll found that 37% of Americans believe that houses can be haunted.
Here’s the Pew poll graphics:
And the Gallup Poll says:
Of course the margins of error for each poll is probably greater than the 1% difference noted, but it is still darn funny.
Perhaps next, to prop up the numbers, the two issues will get fused.
On the Care2 website, DaveR has a poll of his own that asks:
“Does global warming frighten you more than ghosts?”
So far, the Yes votes far outnumber the Noes.
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I know the polls are dead on
I think there may be a haunted office at 2880 Broadway, New York, NY. Seventh floor. Scary place. Worse than we thought…
May be the AGW movement will combine the 2012 scare after all Kyoto first commitment period ends on December 31, 2012 just 10 days after the scare on the Mayan calendar. However, it is not a guarantee the polls in favor of AGW as there seems to be a large number of adherents comon to but issues.
It kinda makes sense, since haunted houses are much more credible than the AGW boogeyman…
Mike
I see the spectre of scaremongering rising in these ghastly poll numbers!
Terrible, I know. Whatcanya do? (shrug) 😉
Andrew
Similar numbers believe “aliens walk among us.”
It’s almost impossible to find something that won’t poll 33%.
The exception being, of course, the “U.S. Congress.” They WISH they could poll 33%.
OT, Anthony, may I e-mail you a picture I received the other day which is a clear and scary indication that AGW propaganda is working it’s way, incidiously, through out the some of the world’s education systems?
Is ectoplasm a greenhouse goo?
Just confirms the scientific illiteracy in America.
Blogs might be hoped to improve on this, but it seems that there are more blogs spreading pseudo-science etc than discussing science. Even this very blog has a vocal pseudo-scientific crop of cultists.
LOL!
I’ve always been told that ghosts are surrounded by a “cold spot” that you can literally feel.
Perhaps we should use this paranormal knowledge to save the planet.
Leif, we have more range than the rest of the world. In all directions. For good or ill. You are only taking in one side of the coin.
Soon the halls of Congress will be haunted by the dead spirits of polterGISS’s and gholeble warming.
Leif Svalgaard (20:57:27) :
Just confirms the scientific illiteracy in America.
Blogs might be hoped to improve on this, but it seems that there are more blogs spreading pseudo-science etc than discussing science. Even this very blog has a vocal pseudo-scientific crop of cultists.
Leif – I couldn’t agree more – they post here all the time – we call them AGW trolls.
evanmjones (21:11:32) :
Leif, we have more range than the rest of the world. In all directions. For good or ill. You are only taking in one side of the coin.
The coin of science only has one side.
Haunted houses, AGW, and, if it’s silliness you want, don’t forget vampires. If you take the time to run the numbers and you start with 1 vampire today, in 34 days all of mankind would have been bitten and died. Another myth bites the dust…
This article is interesting;
http://www.rense.com/general70/smart.htm
and they provide a listing of American belief survey results from the January-February 2006 issue of The Skeptical Inquirer along with 2001 Gallup Poll figures (in parenthesis):
Belief in psychic/spiritual healing: 56 (54)
Belief in ESP: 28 (50)
Haunted houses: 40 (42)
Demonic possession: 40 (41)
Ghosts/spirits of the dead: 39 (38)
Telepathy: 24 (36)
Extraterrestrials visited Earth in the past: 17 (33)
Clairvoyance and prophecy: 24 (32)
Communication with the dead: 16 (28)
Astrology: 17 (28)
Witches: 26 (26)
Reincarnation: 14 (25)
Channeling: 10 (15)
If belief trends continue apace Global Warming should be somewhere in the neighborhood of Witches and Communication with the dead by this time next year…
Graeme Rodaughan (21:19:32) :
Leif – I couldn’t agree more – they post here all the time – we call them AGW trolls.
The AGW trolls are mild mannered compared to the other willfully ignorants.
Leon Brozyna (21:33:50) :
Haunted houses, AGW, and, if it’s silliness you want, don’t forget vampires. If you take the time to run the numbers and you start with 1 vampire today, in 34 days all of mankind would have been bitten and died. Another myth bites the dust…
Leon – arn’t the numbers of vampires kept down by (1) Werewolves, (2) Vampire hunters (3) Careful Self-Control???
Leif Svalgaard (21:55:13) :
Graeme Rodaughan (21:19:32) :
Leif – I couldn’t agree more – they post here all the time – we call them AGW trolls.
The AGW trolls are mild mannered compared to the other willfully ignorants.
Leif – granted, there are many who are well behaved, and those that arn’t eventually get themselves banned.
Do you have an example of ‘willfully ignorant” comment? I would like to see what you mean.
Thanks.
Perhaps “wishful thinking” rather than willfully ignorant Leif meant? An example of this would be the temp averages go up for September and then we get posts on how people it will be cold in October because for the first time in 25 years someone’s back yard in State A had X Y or Z happen cold wise. Then if that does not happen it will be November. Finally when it happens in December we get a chorus of “told you so” that scotches the AGW argument 😀
Both sides do this of course, it is just human nature.
Regards
Andy
OT: What happened to the AMSR-E Sea Ice Extent today (Oct 26)?
Well, there exist polls that indicate that the Americans – as a group – are not the most scientifically educated group in the world.
However, this poll (or pair of polls) is not one of them. 😉
Leif Svalgaard (21:23:11) :
“evanmjones (21:11:32) :
Leif, we have more range than the rest of the world. In all directions. For good or ill. You are only taking in one side of the coin.”
The coin of science only has one side.
A Moebius strip coin?