College-Educated Republicans Most Skeptical of Global Warming

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Gallup

March 26, 2015

College-Educated Republicans Most Skeptical of Global Warming
by Frank Newport and Andrew Dugan

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Republicans with higher levels of education are more likely than those in their parties with less education to say that the seriousness of global warming is "generally exaggerated." By contrast, Democrats with some college or more are less likely than those with less education to believe the seriousness of global warming is exaggerated.

Seventy-four percent of Republicans with a college degree say it is exaggerated, compared with 57% of those with high school education or less saying the same. Democrats are much less likely in general to say that the seriousness of global warming is exaggerated, but those a college degree (15%) are significantly less likely to say this than those with a high school education or less (27%). The relationship between education and views of global warming among independents is generally similar to that shown among Republicans.

These opposing trends by party suggest that higher levels of education reinforce core partisan positions; in this case, Republicans' strong tendency to question or deny global warming and Democrats' inclination to affirm it. The trends also suggest that partisanship rather than education is a main lens through which Americans view global warming and its effects, particularly for those who claim allegiance to one of the two major political parties.

These results come from an aggregation of more than 6,000 interviews conducted as part of Gallup's annual Environmental Poll conducted each March from 2010 to 2015. Over that time, Americans' views about the seriousness of global warming have been steady: 43% on average have said it was generally exaggerated, 24% generally correct and 31% have said it was generally underestimated. Longer term, though, Republicans' and Democrats' views about global warming have increasingly diverged.


Read more: http://www.gallup.com/poll/182159/college-educated-republicans-skeptical-global-warming.aspx?utm_source=tagrss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=syndication

[tanyev]

1. College seems to be wasted on a lot of Republicans.

[guillaumeb]

2. belief perseverance in action?

and possibly more tendency on the part of Republicans to send their children to a religious school?

[AngryAmish]

11. Exactly this.

[immoderate]

3. Educated people are better at rationalizing their biases.

The liberal-conservative thing is, I think, largely determined by brain structure.

--imm

[awoke_in_2003]

27. Great point. nt

[nichomachus]

4. Correction

It should say "college graduates." Just because someone managed to get out of college with a degree doesn't mean they are "educated." Ted Cruz has a college degree. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

[KamaAina]

5. College seems to have the opposite effect on repukes of the intended one.

The prime examples, of course, being Harvard products Tom Cotton and Rafael Edward Cruz (Harvard Law).

[ailsagirl]

6. There goes that cognitive dissonance thing again!

[caraher]

7. A well-studied phenomenon

Greater science literacy correlates with polarization of views along political lines http://www.climateaccess.org/resource/polarizing-impact-science-literacy-and-numeracy-perceived-climate-change-risks

[Wabbajack_]

34. Interesting

[JI7]

8. where did they graduate from and what classes did they take ?

[Mr.Bill]

9. Not surprising

since many of them get "educated" at places like Bob Jones, Oral Roberts and Liberty University.

I bet they are more likely to believe evolution is a hoax straight from the devil, too.

[tblue37]

10. Maybe a lot of respondents went to Liberty University, Oral Roberts University, or some other such religious school. nt

[Kelvin Mace]

12. But what did they study and where?

I would not be surprised to find a bus admin grad from Liberty University scoffing at global warming while a physics grad from MIT believed in it.

[Archae]

13. I went to a college republican party, once.

I never saw so much binge drinking before or since.

[Fred Sanders]

14. Liberty University type religious indoctrination disguised as education is an insult to "education".

[valerief]

15. Higher ed = more money invested in fossil fuels.

Must protect investments!!!!

[Bigredhunk]

16. Who's got time to learn in college?

They're too busy trying to get the "liberal" professors fired.

[happyslug]

32. What in 1945 John Birch, who the John Birch society is named after, did that in a baptist collage

John Birch was a student at Mercer University in 1940 and started a Heresy complaint against his Baptists Professors (These Baptists were NOT fundamentalists enough for John Birch in 1940 and thus the Charge and Trial on Heresy in that University). It ended in trial where the Professors were found innocent of teaching heresy, but one resigned afterward for that profession of theology was found to MAY have violated baptists theology.

http://www.biblicalevangelist.org/index.php?id=128&issue=Volume+34%2C+Number+3

http://www.solidrockfaith.com/johnbirch

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Birch_%28missionary%29

More on Mercer University:

http://www.biblicalevangelist.org/index.php?id=128&issue=Volume+34%2C+Number+3

[valerief]

17. 6% of scientists are Republican.

http://www.salon.com/2013/01/11/scientists_hate_the_gop_for_a_reason/

[padfun]

18. First you should determine what a college education is.

Graduating from Liberty College shouldn't really count.

[PatrynXX]

19. eh side effect i think of listening to fox

since most College Educated republicans watch fox and believe fox. Just amazing how many brains are going out the window with the Fox Brainwashing

[jtuck004]

20. As it should be. They are smart enough to know they can profit now, leave the expenses for someone

else later on, when they can't be called on it.

Read Tim "Killer" Geitner's book Stress Test, see the plan for leaving 50 million people in poverty to pretend the others are doing better.

It's practiced by a lot of people, and ignored by many who should be paying attention.

Aka, "The American Way."

[L0oniX]

21. Any of them with masters degrees? Probably not.

[undeterred]

22. Liberty University ain't college.

[Greybnk48]

23. Agreed. n/t

[blackspade]

24. Ultimately the reality is that 55% of the electorate sees global warming as a problem.

But the media doesn't say this. They focus instead on the 'skeptics'

[Cha]

25. then they're the most susceptible to being brainwashed.. not exactly a surprise.

[Peregrine Took]

26. Business or tech majors. Not suprised. n/t

[olddad56]

28. if they had not been brainwashed, they would not be in the GOP, regardless of their education.

[Larry Engels]

35. Careful.

If they were brainwashed, that would mitigate their responsibility for their beliefs.

[alcibiades_mystery]

29. Conclusion: Business majoring and basic science requirements are for shite

Shaking my damn head.

[MaxRobes]

30. They think they are king of the hill and want to keep it that way

The Republican climate change deniers don't like this idea that CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels is leading to global warming and global climate change. They fear if this idea becomes widely accepted it will upset their little apple cart and might engender new economic winners and losers. They don't like that. They would deny that 2 plus 2 equals 4 if so doing assured their seat at the top of the hill remains secure. They'd throw their own mother under the bus to assure it. They don't handle fear well; they are cowards. That is the essence of their denial, not lack of information. They have their hands on the levers of wealth and power and are determined never to give them up no matter what. Science be damned.

[riderinthestorm]

31. One of my veterinarians is a climate change denier. University of IL graduate

Deeply conservative and a fundy.

He thinks it's all overexagerated and even if its true, we humans will solve the problem no worries.

He is stunningly, maddeningly blithe. We now have the most cursory conversations about the horses period or we'll come to blows.

[Maeve]

33. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink...

You can send a kid to college but you can't make him think!