Ah, the confidence of the inexperienced...
It struck me earlier today that this afternoon's "Occupy Wall Street" gathering in Nevada City would be a great place to do an informal climate survey - ask people for their views on what's causing climate change, what science projects the consequences to be, how long the extra heat will last once we finally stop - basically, assess the knowledge level of this group. But it turns out there's a structural problem (or two) - yes, they are happy to talk, but demonstrators aren't students eager to take your quiz, they're demonstrating because they've got something they want to tell you; and they're a lot more voluble than your humble correspondent.
Plus there's the problem of running into colleagues & friends you haven't seen for a while, getting caught up on family doings etc; and the temptation, when provided a less than accurate climate answer, to seize the opportunity & turn the survey into a push poll.(All in all, a very successful outing for discovering problems with my approach.)
Suggestions for how to assess our community's climate knowledge would be gratefully received.
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