Researchers at Yale University have released an interactive map showing detailed differences in public perception about global warming on a national, state, congressional district and county level.
The data used to create the seven maps were from 12 surveys conducted between 2008 and 2013 by the Yale Project on Climate Communication and the George Mason Center for Climate Change Communication. The researchers used it to make their projections and compare the results to state and local surveys, according to Bloomberg Business.
On a national level, 63 percent of Americans surveyed believe that global warming is happening and that almost half of it was caused by human activities. When it comes to risk perception, half of the Americans surveyed said that they are worried, although 57 percent think that global warming won't harm people in the next 25 years.
As the researchers focus on the state level, New York and California have the highest number of believers at 72 percent and 70 percent, respectively. West Virginia, on the other hand, has the least number of global warming believers at 54 percent.
Not all states have the same level of concern about global warming. New York and California are the most concerned, while Wyoming showed the least concern about the issue.
When it comes to policy support, the majority of Americans surveyed believe government should allocate more funds to renewable energy sources and regulate carbon dioxide by setting limits on coal-fired power plants.
"These differences are partly due to the fact that different groups often think differently about the issue," Peter Howe of Utah State University, lead author of the study at Yale University, said to the Washington Post.
Researchers clarified that the interactive maps show estimates of public opinion and that more research is needed to determine accuracy.
"State and local surveys are costly and time intensive, and, as a result, most public opinion polling is only done at the national level," Anthony Leiserowitz, one of the study's authors, told the Washington Post. "This model for the first time reveals the full geographic diversity of public opinion in the United States at these critical levels of decision-making."
