My claim is based on this data http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/data/temperature/
You can download the data, add your own regression line and check the statistical significance.

If you don't want to download it an overview is available here: http://www.woodfortrees.org/plot/hadcrut3gl/from:1997/to:2012

One thing that the majority of scients do now accept is that the earth stopped warming around 16 years ago and has been relatively trendless since early 1997.

I hope you aren't referring to this claim by any chance.

The climate change denialist appears to be someone that is not very intelligent, but somehow wants to appear intelligent and wants somehow show that he is smart because he does not fall for the "scientist" and "government" trap.

Oh dear. I hope I that observation about "denialists" not appearing very intelligent isn't a general feeling. I am a sceptic who has often been called a denialist, and I'm proud to say that my name is one of the ones on this list of sceptical scientists: http://www.eecg.utoronto.ca/~prall/climate/skeptic_authors_table.html

However, I am also among the often quoted 98% of scientists who believe that man is affecting the earth's climate.

The actual points of difference between scientists on both sides of the fence is so small that the real arguments are all political or philisophical rather than scientific. One thing that the majority of scientists do now accept is that the earth stopped warming around 16 years ago and has been relatively trendless since early 1997. There are still some scientists, mainly high profile ones who have put their reputations on the line, who refuse to accept that nature is more powerful than Mann.

This is where the similarities with the 2012 scare become interesting. Some people appear to listen to the media and blog posts on the internet, but don't wan't to study the data. Others appear to want things to go wrong. Its almost as if they need to fear something for some reason rather than look at the facts and make up their own minds.

With the science

These answers may also help me understand the ones who insist that man-made CO2 is the only cause of climate change and global warming, which is my main field of study

I have never seen a good clip or explanation explaining global warming.
It always have the same message:

• Sea levels will rise —> scary
• You must lose comfort because you have to reduce driving and stop driving your own car —> scary
• The poles are melting —> scary
• Pay more taxes for green energy —> Scary
• …

I never see something hopefully.

• Fight for clearer air —> More fuel efficient engines
• Become more independent from oil countries —> Green energy.
• Something else positive….

I am a scientist, not a psychologist, so I am having real trouble understanding just why anyone was so scared of something that obviously wasn't going to happen.

A lot of them were children or parents with small children.

Once a rational explanation had been given de-bunking that threat, why did you continue to believe the doomsdayers rather than the science?

Emotions does not follow logic.
A lot of them are actually religious and it is their very own religion that did make them scared. 50% of the claims or so has something to do with the Devil or Jesus.

These answers may also help me understand the ones who insist that man-made CO2 is the only cause of climate change and global warming, which is my main field of study.

This is a completely different crowd than the 2012 people.
There is some overlap.

The climate change denialist appears to be someone that is not very intelligent, but somehow wants to appear intelligent and wants somehow show that he is smart because he does not fall for the "scientist" and "government" trap.

A big cause could be because politicians misuse the global climate change to get more taxes. The taxes on my company car increased with 70% in my case in one year. This is not helping the fight against global warming.

Edit:
Repetitive nature and a minority of people creating massive number of scary video clips also contributed to the 2012 scare. It is praying on emotions.

I'd say that people let fear overtake them, and cloud their judgment. There are some people out there who just cannot deal with fear very well. I myself have a huge fear of dying, and the thought of being dead terrifies me to no end, and this hoax had scared me for a long time (until I discovered this site that is).

Some people (especially those not well versed in science) are easily swallowed in the doomsday sea of lies. To them, the bullcrap equations the doomsayers come up with seem real, and with all the "evidence" (and I stress evidence) they provide, it can horrify said people. When presented with facts against such lies, they tend to get stuck in a loop of "yeah, but what if…"

That's all I have to offer. I hope I gave you some insight, if not I apologise.

I know that this question may seem insensitive so close to the time of the non-event, but I do need to understand it before everyone leaves this forum. For those who were truely scared I would like to know why? Maybe the answers to a few sub questions may help me understand a bit better.

What was the threat that made you feel so scared?

What explanation was given for this perceived threat that out-weighed the science?

Once a rational explanation had been given de-bunking that threat, why did you continue to believe the doomsdayers rather than the science?

Thank-you in advance for anyone who is prepared to open their thoughts and give me some answers. These answers may also help me understand the ones who insist that man-made CO2 is the only cause of climate change and global warming, which is my main field of study.