It’s Polar Bear Day. How Much Do You Care?

Mother Jones photo illustration. Source: <a href="http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/aFVh84Kxw6_13">Jessica K. Robertson</a>/US Geological Survey

Happy International Polar Bear Day! In case you haven’t heard, polar bears could be gone by 2050, we’re losing enough Arctic ice each year to blanket Alaska, Texas, and Washington state, and a host of oil companies are straining at the leash to get at receding Arctic ice shelves—estimated to contain some 25 percent of the world’s untapped oil reserves—despite the inherent dangers of arctic oil exploration (imagine cleaning up a BP-sized oil spill in subzero conditions).

A lot of this is probably old news by now. Indeed, recent General Social Surveys have shown that Americans today know quite a bit more about polar regions than they did in 2006. But knowing more doesn’t necessarily mean caring more, as seen in a recent analysis of public perceptions about polar regions (PDF). So exactly how much do you care, compared with the rest of the country? Take this survey and find out.