Nearly four in 10 US residents say the severity of recent natural disasters such as Superstorm Sandy is evidence the world is coming to an end.
Nearly four in 10 US residents say the severity of recent natural disasters such as Superstorm Sandy is evidence the world is coming to an end, as predicted by the Bible, while more than six in 10 blame it on climate change, according to a poll released on Thursday.
The survey by the Public Religion Research Institute in partnership with the Religion News Service found political and religious disagreement on what is behind severe weather, which this year has included extreme heat and drought.
Most Catholics (60 percent) and white non-evangelical Protestants (65 percent) say they believe disasters like hurricanes and floods are the result of climate change.
But nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of white evangelical Protestants say they think the storms are evidence of the "end times" as predicted by the Bible.
Overall, 36 percent point to end times and 63 percent to climate change.
PRRI research director Daniel Cox said that some respondents - including 75 percent of non-white Protestants - believe extreme weather is both evidence of end times and the result of climate change.
"No one really knows how (end times) would look and how God would bring it about," Cox said.
Politics also color perceptions of the weather, the survey found. More than three-quarters of Democrats and six in 10 independents believe that the weather has become more extreme over the last few years, while less than half of Republicans say they have perceived such a shift.
"Their political leanings are even affecting how they experience weather, which is pretty fascinating," said Cox.
The January-to-November period in the United States this year was the warmest first 11 months of any year on record for the contiguous states. And 2012 will likely surpass 1998 as the warmest year on record for the nation, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
本周四公布的一项最新调查显示，近四成美国居民表示，最近发生的桑迪飓风等自然灾害的严重性正是世界末日即将到来的证据，就像《圣经》中预言的那样。而超过六成的受访者认为这是气候变化所致。
公众宗教研究机构与宗教新闻通讯社联合开展的这项调查显示，不同政治派别和不同宗教信仰的人们对于恶劣天气的观念存在分歧，今年已经发生了多起严重的高温和干旱灾害。
多数天主教徒(60%)和非福音派白人新教徒(65%)表示，他们相信飓风和洪灾等自然灾害是气候变化所致。
但近2/3(65%)的福音派白人新教徒认为这些暴风雨是“末日”即将到来的证据，就如《圣经》中预言的那样。
总体来看，36%的人相信末日论，而63%的人相信是气候变化的结果。
PRRI研究总监丹尼尔-考克斯说，一些受访者(包括75%的非白人新教徒)相信恶劣天气既是末日论的证据，也是气候变化的结果。
考克斯说：“没人真正知道末日是什么样子的，上帝又会如何让末日降临。”
政治也对气候的认知有所影响，超过3/4的民主党人和六成独立派人士认为在过去几年中气候越来越极端，而不到半数共和党人认同这种转变。
考克斯说：“人们的政治倾向甚至影响到他们对气候的认知，这真有趣。”
根据美国海洋和大气管理局的数据，美国本土今年1月至11月的气温是有史以来每年前11个月的最高记录。2012年还将超过1998年，成为美国有记录以来最热的一年。
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