New study purports to explain why people dismiss climate science
[CCD Editor's Note: As one of my part-time gigs, I occasionally write freelance. Please follow the Read Rest link at the article's end and be sure to leave your comments at Examiner.com.]
Researchers from the University of Western Australia released a press release today that investigated a person's motive to reject climate science (which they later refer to as man-made global warming). They did this by having visitors who frequent climate blogs complete an online questionnaire.
More than 1,000 people were asked a multitude of questions, all of which pertained to generalized scientific facts and one regarding the scientific theory of man-made global warming (AGW). No margin of error was indicated.
They also didn't indicate if the survey respondents frequented skeptic-, pro-AGW-, and/or scientific-climate blogs.
They point out that the questions in the study were to find out a respondent's belief in conspiracy theories, market ideology, and scientific facts, and to predict causal relationships amongst them.
1. Princess Diana's death was not an accident
2. The Apollo moon landings never happened
3. HIV causes AIDS
4. Smoking causes lung cancer.
They also asked the respondents if they believed in free-market ideology (capitalism), that previous environmental problems were resolved, and their acceptance of climate science (AGW). Keep in mind that people who frequent climate blogs, especially skeptics, are highly versed in the ongoing climate debate and have a higher level of scientific knowledge.
These same respondents could also be quite familiar with misleading temperature charts, the release of climate-related emails showing scientists behaving badly, erroneous temperature records used to promulgate global warming hysteria, the lack of predicted sea level rise, how AGW is blamed for droughts, flooding, tornados, more hurricanes, fewer hurricanes, more snowfall, less snowpack, colder winters, milder winters, and so on.
But let's look at the questions the researchers used to make the erroneous conclusion that people "who subscribed to one or more conspiracy theories or who strongly supported a free market economy were more likely to reject the findings from climate science as well as other sciences."
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I find that people who question, doubt or dismiss the idea of human-caused climate change are also more intelligent than those who don't
That's why I call Global Warming a manifestation of trailer trash science, which is not a science at all. It's like political science.
Sadly, most of them are brainwashed and all but a few are able to question the teachings of their tutors.
So sad how a huge part of a generation has been duped. It is a great loss to the future of science.
As long as the mantra is funded, they won't shut up. We're dealing with a well-paid army here, not benign well-meaning liberals sitting around singing "Kumbaya".
We will have more to worry about if Romney sees the light and gets behind carbon cap and trade with his buddies in the "financial community". I won't be surprised if that's the next step. Then watch the Democrats embrace him. The horrors of the campaign will be forgotten.
Thanks for reporting on this. We always have to know they're doing so we can dodge the next bullet.