Most Americans Support More Environmental Protections

In a surprising Harris poll, nearly half of all U.S. adults think the government's doing far too little to protect the environment.

1 minute read

October 16, 2005, 11:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen

Almost three-quarters say that eco-protections are important, and that standards cannot be too high. It's a fresh new Harris Interactive poll on attitudes of Americans toward environmental protection.

The survey of a nationwide cross section of 1,217 adults indicated that 71 percent think large corporations are doing less than their share to help reduce environmental problems. Fifty-three percent say President Bush isn't stepping up to the plate, 57 percent think Congress needs a kick in the butt, and 44 percent say the media isn't doing enough.

Water and air pollution rank as the highest-priority problems, followed closely by global warming, ozone depletion, loss of forestlands, and the need for more recycling. Despite these opinions -- which are, in the context of today's political scene, extremely green -- only 12 percent self-identify as environmentalists.

Thanks to Grist Magazine

FULL STORY: Nearly Half of Americans Cite 'Too Little' Environment Regulation

Saturday, October 15, 2005 in The Wall Street Journal

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