Written for Bacon’s Rebellion By Steve Haner

The myth of the climate catastrophe is an easier sell to younger people with their shorter memories. A recent poll of Virginia adults 18 and up showed a marked difference of opinion based on age, with older voters less likely to claim they had personal experience of “impacts from climate change.”

The poll was a recent one conducted by the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Wilder School of Government and Public Policy, released in two parts. The first part dealt with election matchups and the second with issues, frankly using some ridiculous questions. They were not so much biased as just worthless. Other examples will follow but here is the climate issue question:

Have you or others in your household experienced impacts from climate change, such as coping with extreme heat, sea level rise, recurrent flooding, or stronger and more frequent storms, including any resulting property damage or increased household cost?

A second question asked the same 804 respondents their level of concern about future “impacts.” But asked about direct experience, 38% said yes, they have “experienced” that and 58% said no, with only a handful saying they had no opinion or couldn’t say.

The first problem with the question itself, of course, is its assumption that “extreme heat, sea level rise, recurrent flooding, or stronger  … storms” are even caused by what the media trumpets as “climate change.” And the media, all forms, trumpet it almost daily, with this poll conducted during the height of a media hysteria storm about a warmer-than-average July. (“Hottest in the history of the world….”)

Despite decades of such media hype, barely more than one-third of Virginians believe they personally have seen the signs. We’ve all certainly lived through the same heat spells and our share of very bad storms. The question really was, “please confirm that our relentless propaganda has persuaded you that all bad weather is caused by climate change.” It is quite encouraging how many said no.

And the skeptical percentage grew with age and experience, as revealed in the polling crosstabs. The most vulnerable to the propaganda were the 25-34 age cohort, 57% of whom agreed with the statement. The 45-54 age cohort were the most skeptical, with only 28% claiming they had experienced bad weather caused by climate change. Of those 55 and up, about a third agreed with the statement and two-thirds did not.  They know the weather we see today is nothing new.

The good news for the propaganda movement is that when the question was about concern over the future, the numbers rose, with far more expressing those concerns (68%) than on the first question and with the age gap also shrinking. But again, the question was really testing the effectiveness of the climate catastrophe narrative.

Here is the dumbest question in the poll:

The K-12 standards for student learning and achievement in the area of history are required to be reviewed by the State Board of Education every seven years. Recently, the Board of Education approved the new standards put forth by Governor Youngkin’s Board of Education. Do you approve or disapprove of the new history standards?

Hands up if you think even one of the 804 people polled has ever seen any state curriculum standard, let alone this particular new standard for history. Again, this question was really about something else. Has political rhetoric attacking these standards, or similar standards around the nation, sunk in with you? Throwing in Governor Glenn Youngkin’s name also created cross-pressures on respondents, which the poll drafter fully understood.

The poll question that generated the most news coverage, however, was the standard either-or approach taken on tax cuts versus government spending. The Virginia General Assembly remains stalemated over what do with a substantial unappropriated cash surplus, with Republicans pushing for the inclusion of some permanent tax relief as part of the response.

Here is the question:

Governor Youngkin proposed using about $1 billion of Virginia’s budget surplus toward tax relief for Virginians. Virginia Democrats in the State Senate would prefer to use it for building or repairing schools or other similar projects. Which option do you prefer?

Is there actually $1 billion more in the proposed Senate budget for “repairing schools or other similar projects?” Why, no, the Senate is pushing for additional spending in several categories across several functions of government, and (a more important omission) the Senate has also supported its own version of tax relief. The question also fails to note that Youngkin is proposing to use only $1 billion out of the $3-5 billion available for tax relief, and also supports more spending. It is not either-or.

Do you think including that context might have created a different response, again dealing with average Virginians with little or no direct knowledge on the subject? Of course the question was written to produce a specific answer and focusing on schools (always popular) was the giveaway. Again, it is encouraging that 43% still put tax relief first despite the question’s headwind.

What a shock that a poll conducted by a tax-supported school would find that voters wanted to spend more taxes on schools. That was hardly headline news, but of course we don’t have an independent news media anymore.

The most interesting result in the issue survey was the first question, an open- ended question on “the most important issue facing Virginia today.” With no prompting, more than a third named inflation and the rising cost of living. The runners up were education (18%), abortion (13%) and gun control (12%).

Among those naming abortion or gun control as the top issue, people on both sides of the issues have to be included among those who put them as their top concern. It provided zero insight on how many voters feel which way on either. So, while interesting, the question was useless. The issue portion of the poll itself was largely useless, except as one more example of how the tool is often wielded badly.