There've been a number of studies calculating just how little the average American knows about the science of climate change, and here's another which lays out the ignorance pretty clearly: Yale University found that if we were getting letter grades, just 8% would get an A or B, 40% would receive a C or D, and 52% would flunk. Perhaps those poor scores are balanced somewhat by the fact that only about 11-14% of Americans classify themselves as being "very well informed" about climate change, with about half saying they are "fairly well informed", and three-quarters wanting to know more. Americans Have Important Knowledge Gaps About Global Warming Furthermore, Americans' Knowledge of Climate Change, "also found important gaps in knowledge and common misconceptions about climate change and the earth system. These misconceptions lead some people to doubt that global warming is happening or that human activities are a major contributor, to misunderstand the causes and therefore the solutions, and to be unaware of the risks." http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/10/on-climate-change-knowledge-test-half-americans-flunk.php