According to the results of a recently conducted Harris Interactive Poll, nearly three-quarters of American adults agree that protecting the environment is important and standards cannot be too high. Meanwhile, almost half of the 1,200+ respondents surveyed believe the federal government should get more involved in environmental protection. Only one-fifth feel there is too much environmental regulation currently.
Poll results also show that more than two-thirds of Americans view large corporations as primary culprits in environmental problems, although about as many respondents also thought the general public could do more to help as well.
Other interesting tidbits gleaned from the survey include that fact that only 12 percent of U.S. adults consider themselves active environmentalists, although about half are sympathetic to environmental concerns. A quarter of the respondents reported feeling neutral about environmental issues, while only 4 percent considered themselves unsympathetic.
In terms of ranking environmental issues, poll respondents cite water pollution as their top concern, followed closely by air pollution. Other priorities include global warming, ozone depletion, and over-zealous resource extraction. Boosting recycling and insisting that other countries adhere to our strict environmental standards are lower priorities according to the results of the poll.
Source: www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=607
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