Three of four Filipinos want the government to address the problem of global warming but want gradual, low-cost solutions, with the Philippines also placing in the middle of a 12-nation survey on citizens’ sense of urgency in addressing the issue. "The Philippines is in the middle of the range, with 76 percent saying global warming should be addressed," said local pollster Social Weather Stations. The 12-nation survey was conducted from Sept. 24 to Oct. 2 last year by the SWS along with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (CCGA) and WorldPublicOpinion.org (WPO). It added that while there is general agreement among the 12 countries that global warming is real, "there are differences over how much should be spent to address it." SWS explained that the participating national survey institutes agreed to hold off public release of their national findings until the global results were completed and could be cited for comparison. According to the SWS, the largest proportion in favor of measures to combat global warming is in Australia (92 percent), while the smallest is in India (49 percent). Results for other countries polled are: China, 83 percent; Israel, 83 percent; Argentina, 82 percent; United States, 80 percent; Poland, 69 percent; Armenia, 69 percent; Thailand, 68 percent; Ukraine, 67 percent; and Russia, 66 percent. "Majorities in all but one country favor taking actions to deal with global warming. The proportions of those who favor taking actions is composed of those who say 'global warming is a serious and pressing problem' and 'the problem of global warming should be addressed, but its effects will be gradual,'" SWS said. The survey asked respondents to choose which of three statements they agreed most with:
- Until we are sure that it is really a problem, we should not take any steps that would have economic costs.
- The problem of global warming should be addressed, but its effects will be gradual, so we can deal with the problem gradually by taking steps that are low in cost.
- Global warming is a serious and pressing problem. We should begin taking steps now even if this involves significant costs.
The view that global warming "is a serious and pressing problem" that needs to be dealt with quickly "even if this involve significant costs" is most prevalent in Australia, 69 percent, while only 19 percent in India are in favor of urgent and costly actions against global warming. The Philippines is second lowest along with Thailand, with 27 percent saying the problem is pressing enough to warrant immediate and costly measures. About 49 percent of Filipino respondents endorsed the second solution of a go-slow, low-cost approach in dealing with global warming. The gradual and low-cost approach in addressing global warming is also the most commonly held opinion in Thailand (41 percent), Poland (39 percent), Ukraine (37 percent) and India (30 percent). Indian respondents, on the other hand, are the most skeptical, with 24 percent saying costly actions to deal with global warming should be avoided "until we are sure that it is really a problem". Eighteen percent of Filipinos likewise believe this view. Support for "urgent but costly approach" was strongest among ABCs and college graduates. In the Philippines, the support for taking actions to deal with global warming are strongest in the balance of Luzon (79 percent) and Metro Manila (77 percent), compared to Visayas (71 percent), and Mindanao (71 percent). As to how much should be spent to deal with global warming, preference for urgent actions with significant costs is slightly stronger among the upper-to-middle classes ABC (34 percent), compared to class D (28 percent) and class E (19 percent). Preference for gradual and less costly actions to deal with global warming, on the other hand, tends to be lower among the lower classes – 54 percent in class E, 47 percent in class D and 41 percent in classes ABC. There were more with higher educational attainment who wanted a stronger the response to global warming, with 35 percent of the college graduates endorsing taking urgent actions to address it even if it entails significant costs, compared to 26 percent of those who had some college education, 25 percent of those who had some high school and 25 percent of non-elementary graduates. The SWS said the survey is the first in a series of reports based on the findings of an international survey conducted in 2006 by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and WorldPublicOpinion.org in cooperation with polling organizations in 18 countries. The 18 countries include China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Russia, France, Thailand, Ukraine, Poland, Iran, Mexico, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Argentina, Peru, Israel, Armenia and the Palestinian Territories. These nations include roughly 56 percent of the world population. In the Philippines, the September-October 2006 Social Weather Survey used face-to-face interviews of a national sample of 1,200 statistically representative households (300 each in Metro Manila, the Balance of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao), from 240 geographical spots selected from all regions. Error margins of ±3 percent for national percentages and ±6 percent for regional percentages should be applied.
-GMANews.TV 
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