Poll: Majority say Trump's decision to withdraw from Paris climate agreement a mistake

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the United States is withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement -- but most people think it was a mistake.

A new poll conducted by AOL News found that a majority of people surveyed oppose the president's decision to remove the United States from the Paris Agreement.

Of those polled, 54 percent said they did not agree with Trump's withdraw of the U.S., while 41 percent of respondents said they agreed. Five percent said they were unsure.

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The president's decision to withdraw from the pact allowed him to fulfill one of his key campaign promises, but the decision to exit the landmark accord -- which is signed by over 190 countries -- quickly became controversial as bipartisan criticism emerged.

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Even members of his inner circle, including first daughter Ivanka Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, reportedly tried to sway Trump to remain in the Paris agreement, which aims to curb emissions and stem the progress of global climate change.

But many Republicans supported the president's decision. More than a dozen GOP senators backed the move, many with ties to oil, gas and coal industries, including James Inhofe, Rand Paul, John Cornyn, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

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The U.S. joins Syria and Nicaragua as the only countries not participating in the pact.

Nicaragua refused to sign onto the agreement only because its officials felt the deal did not go far enough to protect the environment.

In the wake of the president's decision, former New York City mayor and billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg has organized the United States Climate Alliance -- a group of cities, states, university presidents and companies who want to uphold the Paris Agreement.

The group intends to develop and submit a plan to the United Nations pledging to meet the U.S.' greenhouse emissions limits set in the Paris accord, reports the New York Times.

** Polls conducted by AOL.com do not use scientific sampling. Surveys sample thousands of users and consistently reflect results to polls administered by other outlets.