Global Warming Alarms Arizonans
This Rocky Mountain Poll – Arizona (2007-III-04), is based on 628 interviews with voters across Arizona, conducted between May 24th and May 29th 2007. Where necessary, figures for age, sex, race and political party were weighted to bring them into line with their actual proportion in the population. In a sample of this size, one can say with a 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 3.9 percent of what they would have been had the entire voter population been surveyed. The Rocky Mountain Poll is conducted by the Behavior Research Center of Arizona and is an independent and non-partisan research program sponsored by the Center. This statement conforms to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
June 14, 2007 – The potential harsh realities of global warming are having a powerful impact on voter attitudes toward efforts by business and government to push for more growth in the state. Now that it is clear that global warming is a reality that will have sooner rather than later impacts on lives and lifestyles, the public has sharply shifted to a “do something now” mode.
Nearly eight in ten believe the state will get hotter in just the next 20 years, including 44 percent who say it will get “much hotter” here. Impressively, exactly the same percent hold that this will happen within just ten years.
The public has clearly moved from being unsure about whether global warming is real or fiction to a “tipping point” in which they not only believe it is real, but imminent and threatening. Having reached that point, views have mushroomed in favor of taking collective action to try and reduce the so-called greenhouse gas emissions. Public views seem far too powerful to not have an impact on public policy, public officials and business. More specifically:
• Half now favor ending promotions to attract more people to Arizona.
• 56 percent favor ending efforts to attract new businesses to the state whose operations may emit greenhouse gasses.
• Over 70 percent favor strong criminal laws for companies, executives and public officials who violate greenhouse gasses laws.
• 73 percent favor requiring existing companies to invest in proven technologies aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
• 80 percent favor using tax break strategies to encourage businesses and homeowners to install proven technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• An impressive 76 percent favor levying heavy fines on companies that refuse to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
It is very rare in survey work of this type to find the public so focused on a need to move public policy in a specific direction. What is more, while Republicans are somewhat less enthusiastic about governmental action, solid majorities nonetheless favor action in nearly all of the above categories.
Arizona legislative Democrats may have an opportunity here to try and cash in on voter expectations. By more than a two to one ratio, the public believes the Democrats in the state legislature will do a better job than their Republican counterparts of working to pass laws to protect the environment from greenhouse gasses. Independent voters hold this view by a ratio of 4 to one. Even among Republicans rank and file voters, barely 38 percent believe their party leaders would do the best job.
The lack of confidence in Republican legislators on this issue may trace to long and well known
tendencies among some prominent Republican leaders to refer to global warming as little more than “bad
science”.
For this and other polls, see www.brcpolls.com/results.
