By the numbers: Declining belief in man-made global warming

While the economic crisis may have had a role in the public’s shifting views on global warming, there also are other possible factors. For example, in some parts of the country this was an unusually cool summer — the National Climate Data Center classifies nine states, with roughly a sixth of the American population, as places with summer temperatures “much below normal.” People living in those states appear to be less likely than those living elsewhere (in states where temperatures were only somewhat below normal, near normal or above normal) to see solid evidence of global warming.