The global warming problem came to international public attention in the late 1980s.
[255] Significant regional differences exist in how concerned people are about climate change and how much they understand the issue.
[256] In 2010, just a little over half the US population viewed it as a serious concern for either themselves or their families, while 73% of people in Latin America and 74% in developed Asia felt this way.
[257] Similarly, in 2015 a
median of 54% of respondents considered it "a very serious problem", but Americans and Chinese (whose economies are responsible for
the greatest annual CO2 emissions) were among the least concerned.
[256] Worldwide in 2011, people were more likely to attribute global warming to human activities than to natural causes, except in the US where nearly half of the population attributed global warming to natural causes.
[258] Public reactions to global warming and concern about its effects have been increasing, with many perceiving it as the worst global threat.
[259] In a 2019 CBS poll, 64% of the US population said that climate change is a "crisis" or a "serious problem", with 44% saying human activity was a significant contributor.
[260]