Americans Support Teaching Global Warming in School
By Anthony Leiserowitz, Edward Maibach, Connie Roser-Renouf, Geoff Feinberg and Seth Rosenthal
Filed under: Beliefs & Attitudes
The Next Generation Science Standards[1] for K-12 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in the U.S. require that climate change be included in the curriculum, a mandate that is controversial in some parts of the country. Overall, however, Americans support the new standards: By a three-to-one margin, Americans support (76% “strongly” or “somewhat”) rather than oppose (23%) teaching our children about global warming in schools.
This chart is from our report “Climate Change in the American Mind: March, 2016,” (section 5.2) which includes findings on what actions Americans support taking to address climate change.
[1] The Next Generation Science Standards were developed by a collaboration of scientists and educators at the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences; the American Academy for the Advancement of Science; the National Teacher’s Association; 26 states; and Achieve (a non-profit organization). Released in 2013, the standards represent the most current, research-based method of educating K-12 students in STEM and preparing them for STEM careers. See: http://www.nextgenscience.org/