Nearly three our of every four Americans see the possibility of the earth running out of the resources necessary to support its growing population, but relatively few see this as a threat that will affect them personally. 73% of those in the latest Economist/YouGov Poll say the earth will run out of resources, but just 6% think this will probably happen in their lifetimes.
15% overall think the earth will never run out, with more than a quarter of Republicans (26%) agreeing. Democrats are more pessimistic: eight in ten of them expect this will happen someday. Younger adults (those under 30), with more years of life ahead of them, are the most likely to think they might be around to see this happen: 34% describe it as a possibility in their lifetime.
Many Americans think the global population is getting too large. In the wake of the United Nations announcement of the world’s population reaching seven billion, 50% say the population is too high and is harming the environment. 58% of college graduates agree.
Economist/YouGov poll archives can found here.
Photo source: Press Association
