The survey of almost 3100 Australians found 74 per cent accept the evidence from local and international scientists showing how and why the world’s climate is changing.

When asked a different question about the causes of climate change, which removed the reference to personal beliefs, 90 per cent of respondents said human activity was a factor.

Just 5 per cent said climate change was entirely caused by natural processes.

Overall, less six per cent of respondents could reasonably be classified as true climate change ‘sceptics’, the study by Griffith University researchers found.

“It’s clear that people want the government to do something about climate change and they also feel they have a personal responsibility to act,” environmental and social psychologist Professor Joseph Reser said.

The survey was commissioned by the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility and funded by the federal government’s Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency‘s Climate Change Adaptation Research Grants program.

A little bit partial perhaps?  The survey actually was taken mid last year, prior to the infamous ‘climategate’ email scandal and might be much different now. Why this old survey was released now, and up-to-date survey information not obtained, is open to speculation, mine being that a very different picture would emerge.

BTW: ‘Mission statement’ for the commissioning body – “The National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility – leading the research community in a national interdisciplinary effort to generate the information needed by decision-makers in government and in vulnerable sectors and communities to manage the risks of climate change impacts.  {my bold enhancement}
If the results are an accurate portrayal of the current Australian’s viewpoints, a), I am surprised and disappointed, b), we are a bit at variance with other countries. At least with UK, where:  (from ‘World wide web of doubt’ by Christopher Pearson,  The Australian,  February 13, 2010).

PUBLIC confidence in the supposedly settled science of global warming is in free fall, especially in the English-speaking world. On Sunday a poll was published in Britain that compared the results from a new BBC phone survey with one conducted in November, the month the Climategate hacked emails were released.

Since November, the proportion of respondents who thought global warming was an established fact largely attributable to human activity fell from 41 per cent to 26 per cent.

Those who thought climate change was happening but that it wasn’t yet proven to be man-made increased from 32 per cent to 38 per cent. Those who thought climate change was real but that blaming it on mankind was environmentalist propaganda rose from 8 to 10 per cent. 

Those who said climate change was not happening rose from 15 to 25 per cent.

Just some ‘food for thought’.  Sometimes what we read in the mainstream media is not what it seems.

In summary, I believe that this survey,  because it is out of date and may not be impartial, is propaganda and has no current validity.