A recent survey conducted by Stanford and Ipsos Public Affairs revealed a decline in U.S. support for government-endorsed climate change initiatives over the past two years.

Seventy-two percent of participants advocated for government action on climate change concerns in a 2010 survey conducted by Stanford. This year’s survey, however, showed a decrease in support to 62 percent.

According to the survey results, major factors that have swayed individuals away from supporting government climate change initiative include Republican political leanings, skepticism directed toward climate scientists and recent shifts to a cooling of weather worldwide.

Jon Krosnik, senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, mentioned in an article in the Stanford Report the lack of Republican support for government initiatives in climate matters during the current presidential campaigns. Those who identified as Republican expressed the sharpest drop in support for these initiatives.

The report indicated that the American public’s main concern with government involvement in climate change is consumer taxes that are meant to dissuade greater public use of electricity and gasoline. The report, however, did not find evidence to suggest that economic struggles play a considerable factor

Regardless of the drop in full supporters, the study did reveal that many specific government actions addressing climate change continue to receive support.

 — Ileana Najarro