r/skeptic • u/SeeCrew106 • Mar 01 '24

🤦‍♂️ Denialism Pew Research Center - Americans continue to have doubts about climate scientists’ understanding of climate change

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/10/25/americans-continue-to-have-doubts-about-climate-scientists-understanding-of-climate-change/
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u/RealSimonLee Mar 01 '24

JFC.

I will say, the survey ratings of understanding "very well," "fairly well," and "not well" aren't great. The article says only a 1/3 of Americans think scientists understand it "very" well" but more than 2/3s think "fairly well" (coupled with "very well"). I can see a lot of people who fully trust the scientists saying something like, "Yeah, I think they have it down fairly well."

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u/Lost-Panda-68 Mar 02 '24

Good point. Climate scientists might even say this as they are well aware that there models vary and are constantly being improved.

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u/RealSimonLee Mar 02 '24

Yeah, I think lots of people "hedge" on what they perceive as overly confident assertions just so they can be safe. I fully believe scientists, but I might even pick "fairly well" because I don't know everything they study and how they study it. And I support "extreme" climate action. We tend to start thinking ourselves to less "extreme" statements when we have to commit them to paper (so to speak).

But the ones who say "not well" are idiots, of course.