Researchers at the Ohio State University Survey Research Unit have taken a unique approach to understanding public opinion on global warming. Between Sept. 1 and Oct. 5, 1997, before President Clinton launched the White House Conference on Climate Change on Oct. 6 at Georgetown University, they conducted a national telephone survey on attitudes about global warming.

After the United Nations conference on global warming in Kyoto in early December 1997, the researchers went into the field again with another national survey, conducted between Dec. 20, 1997, and Feb. 13, 1998. The surveys, which enabled researchers to look at how opinions changed during a period of heightened attention to the issue, were funded by the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and were sponsored by Resources for the Future.

Among the many interesting findings, the surveys revealed growing partisan divisions on the issue. In September and October 1997, 75 percent of people who identified strongly with the Democratic party thought that global warming would happen in the future, compared to 67 percent of strong Republicans (an 8-point gap). In the December-to-February survey, 77 percent of these Democrats and 55 percent of the Republicans felt that way (a 22-point gap).

On another question, 15 percent of strong Democrats thought that global warming would cause none of six undesirable consequences identified by the researchers. Eleven percent of strong Republicans shared this view. In the December-February survey, 4 percent of strong Democrats thought global warming would have none of these effects, but many more Republicans (27 percent) felt this way.