NEW YORK, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Most Americans have realized the serious effects of global warming but people are divided on whether to act on it now, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll released on Thursday.

    About 80 percent respondents said immediate action was required to curb the warming of the atmosphere, while 19 percent said it was not necessary to act now, and 1 percent said no steps were needed.

    The poll found that Americans want the United States to support conservation and to be a global leader in addressing environmental problems. But when it comes to specific steps to foster conservation or produce more energy, the public is deeply torn, the poll found.

    Respondents said they would support higher gasoline prices to reduce dependence on foreign oil but would oppose higher prices to combat global warming.

    Nearly half of those polled also said they did not believe that their fellow Americans would be willing to change driving habits to save gasoline. But they almost unanimously supported requiring automobile manufacturers to make more fuel-efficient cars.

    The poll also found that Americans broadly support using renewable energy sources like solar and wind power and say fueling vehicles with ethanol, which is now made largely from corn.

    They are nearly evenly split on building nuclear power plants, with 59 percent saying no and 36 percent yes.

    The latest New York Times/CBS News poll is based on telephone interviews conducted April 20 through April 24 with 1,052 adults throughout the United States. The margin-of-sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.