Rural Nebraskans Back 'Immediate' Government Steps to Curb Climate Change
LINCOLN, Neb. â€" A majority of rural Nebraskans are concerned enough about global warming that they support "immediate action" by the government, though many older residents and people in agricultural occupations are skeptical about climate change's causes and impact, according to the Nebraska Rural Poll.
(Media-Newswire.com) - LINCOLN, Neb. — A majority of rural Nebraskans are concerned enough about global warming that they support "immediate action" by the government, though many older residents and people in agricultural occupations are skeptical about climate change's causes and impact, according to the Nebraska Rural Poll.
Surveys for the 13th annual University of Nebraska-Lincoln poll were mailed to about 6,200 randomly selected households in Nebraska's 84 rural counties last spring. Results are based on 2,496 responses.
This year's poll included questions about rural Nebraskans' attitudes toward energy use and conservation, reported earlier this summer ( http://cari.unl.edu/ruralpoll/report08.shtml ) and perceptions of global climate change.
Responses to questions on both issues, researchers say, reflect a concern about the future among many rural Nebraskans that's led them to be unusually supportive of aggressive government action.
Fifty-three percent of poll respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that "global climate change requires immediate action by the government." Twenty-one percent disagreed or strongly disagreed.
"It is unlike rural Nebraskans to believe anything requires action by government, especially when it involves promulgation of rules about how you live your life," said Randy Cantrell, rural sociologist with UNL and the Nebraska Rural Initiative.
Bruce Johnson, UNL ag economist and member of the Rural Poll team, said there's a message there for policy makers.
"'We want you to begin working on this. We want you to take action. Don't just ignore it,'" Johnson said.
While 58 percent of rural Nebraskans believe global climate change already is occurring and 65 percent believe human activity contributes to the planet's warming, some demographical and geographical differences among respondents reflect more nuanced perspectives.
For example, residents of the Panhandle are more likely to be concerned about global warming than residents of other parts of the state. Sixty-seven percent of Panhandle residents believe climate change already is happening and 60 percent are concerned about it impacting Nebraska, compared to 58 percent and 52 percent, respectively, statewide.
Becky Vogt, Rural Poll project manager, speculated that stems from several years of drought in western Nebraska.
"Maybe that's made them more sensitive to the issue," she said.
Also, younger people are more concerned about the impact of global climate change, according to the poll. Fifty-six percent of respondents under 30 years old expressed concern that climate change will impact Nebraska, compared to 48 percent of those over 65.
Older respondents were more likely than others to believe that "too much fuss is made about global climate change" ( 40 percent, compared to 30 percent overall ) and that current climate change is due to normal climate patterns ( 48 percent, compared to 37 percent overall ).
Older Nebraskans' attitudes about the seriousness of global climate change may be affected by their experiences with previous climate extremes, such as the Dust Bowl of the '30s, that have come and gone over the years, Cantrell and Johnson said.
People who make a living in agriculture also are more skeptical about global climate change. For example, 44 percent of them agreed that too much fuss is being made about global climate change, compared to 30 percent overall. Also, 52 percent of people in ag believe that climate change is due to normal climate patterns, compared to 37 percent overall, and only 31 percent support "immediate action" by the government, compared to 53 percent overall.
Still, even among such global-warming skeptics as older Nebraskans and people employed in agriculture, the poll shows concern about climate change and a belief that people will have to change their behavior.
"People are paying attention way more than they're given credit for. They're attentive to sound science," Cantrell said.
The Rural Poll is the largest annual poll of rural Nebraskans' perceptions on quality of life and policy issues. This year's response rate was about 40 percent. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent. Complete results are available online at Nebraska Rural Poll.
The university's Center for Applied Rural Innovation conducts the poll in cooperation with the Rural Initiative with funding from the Partnership for Rural Nebraska and UNL Extension and the Agricultural Research Division in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
8/26/08-DM
Becky Vogt Center for Applied Rural Innovation Nebraska Rural Poll Project Manager ( 402 ) 329-4821
Bruce Johnson - Ph.D. Agricultural Economics Professor ( 402 ) 472-1794
Randy Cantrell - Ph.D. Center for Applied Rural Innovation Professor ( 402 ) 472-1772
This story was released on 2008-08-27. Please make sure to visit the official company or organization web site to learn more about the original release date. See our disclaimer for additional information.