A new survey conducted by Public Religion Research finds that a majority of Americans believe that the earth is getting warmer and that the U.S. has a responsibility to address climate change. Nearly 7-in-10 Americans and solid majorities of every religious group, including 71% of Catholics and nearly two-thirds (64%) of white evangelicals, believe there is solid evidence that the average temperature on earth has been increasing over the last few decades. More than 6-in-10 Americans say the federal government should be doing more to address the issue. The poll also reveals that most Americans see a link between global poverty and rising global temperatures. 

Dr. Robert P. Jones, president of Public Religion Research, says “this new poll shows that a majority of Americans, including people of faith such as Catholics and evangelicals, support addressing climate change even in our challenging current economic conditions. For most Americans, support for addressing climate change is not only about caring for the environment but about assisting the poor who are adversely affected by these changes.”