Oct. 20, 2008
Media Contact: Tara Laskowski, tlaskows@gmu.edu 703-993-8815
FAIRFAX, Va.,—Nearly two out of three undecided voters say that the presidential candidates’ positions on global warming will influence their vote in the upcoming election, according to a new national survey released jointly today by researchers at George Mason and Yale Universities.
Consistent with other recent polls, the survey found that 48 percent of registered voters said they will vote or are leaning toward voting for Barack Obama, while 39 percent say they will vote or are leaning toward voting for John McCain. Nine percent of registered voters were still undecided as of Oct. 14.
While few undecided voters rated global warming as the single most important issue that will determine their vote, 62 percent of undecided voters, 64 percent of voters leaning toward McCain and 75 percent of voters leaning toward Obama indicated that global warming is one of several important issues that will influence their vote. “Even in the midst of the nation’s financial turmoil, global warming remains an important issue for large numbers of voters,” said Anthony Leiserowitz of Yale University.
In the race to earn undecided voters’ trust on the issue of global warming, the two candidates are in a dead heat. Fifty percent of undecided voters trust John McCain as a source of information about global warming and 51 percent trust Barack Obama. “In the closing days of this election, each of these candidates still has an opportunity to make their best case on global warming to these critical voters,” said Edward Maibach of George Mason University.
Surprisingly, however, 45 percent of McCain supporters distrust John McCain as a source of information about global warming, while only 15 percent of Obama supporters distrust their candidate on the issue.
The results come from a nationally representative survey of 2,189 American adults, age 18 and older. The sample was weighted to correspond with Census Bureau parameters for the United States. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2 percent, with 95 percent confidence. The survey was designed by researchers at Yale and George Mason Universities and conducted October 8 through October 14 by Knowledge Networks, using an online research panel of American adults.
About George Mason University
Named the #1 national university to watch by U.S. News & World Report, George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in the heart of Northern Virginia’s technology corridor near Washington, D.C., Mason prepares its students to succeed in the work force and meet the needs of the region and the world. With strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, dance, organizational psychology and health care, Mason students are routinely recognized with national and international scholarships. Mason professors conduct groundbreaking research in areas such as cancer, climate change, information technology and the biosciences, and Mason’s Center for the Arts brings world-renowned artists, musicians and actors to its stage.
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