Poll: Most Mass. Residents Say Global Warming Is Real

More than half of Massachusetts residents believe global warming is real and at least partially caused by human activity, but there's little sense of urgency about addressing the problem, according to a new poll that also found attitudes split along party lines.

Forty-two percent of Massachusetts Democrats believe global warming should be a high priority for state leaders while 57 percent of Republicans believe global warming isn't happening or is due to natural causes.

The poll, by MassINC., a Boston-based policy think tank, could have implications for the state's 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act, designed to reduce the state's carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

The telephone poll of 1,311 Massachusetts was conducted from Feb. 8-14 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.