The Fall 2012 National Surveys on Energy and Environment Findings Report for Belief-Related Questions

As 2013 began, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) identified 2012 as the warmest year on record in the United States, with national temperatures exceeding three degrees above the 20th century average. Along with the nation’s record levels of warmth during 2012 came notable weather and climate events, including severe drought conditions throughout large regions and the historic devastation of Super-Storm Sandy in the Northeast. As Americans experienced the heat and extreme weather conditions of 2012, an increasing number of citizens indicated that they believed global warming was occurring and that they held this view because of the weather-related phenomena they were experiencing. These are among the key findings of the Fall 2012 versions of the National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE) from the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and the Institute of Public Opinion at Muhlenberg College. These surveys included a total of 917 interviews in the period before Super-Storm Sandy struck in late October (early Fall iteration) and 998 interviews conducted after the storm’s arrival (late Fall iteration). This is the first time the NSEE has been run twice during the same season in order to capture possible effects from meteorological phenomena on public perceptions regarding global warming