Some 52% of UK citizens and 39% of US citizens consider climate change one of the most important problems their country faces, according to a new study by the Policy Institute at King’s College London, Ipsos, and the Climate Action Coalition.
One fifth of US respondents, meanwhile, and 14% of Britons, believe that climate change isn’t important.
The study found that UK citizens are slightly more hopeful (40%) than pessimistic (34%) about stopping the effects of climate change, while 33% of Americans are similarly optimistic, compared to 25% that are pessimistic.
As to whether they believe their respective countries are making good progress on tackling climate change, 37% of UK citizens agree, along with 27% of Americans, however, a majority in both nations believe progress is insufficient (53% in Britain, 51% in the US).
Notable differences are seen when exploring the political affiliations of respondents, meanwhile – while 64% of Labour supporters and 47% of Conservatives prioritize climate change, only 15% of Republicans in the US do so, compared to 66% of Democrats.
‘Broad agreement’
“The growing public concern over climate change in the UK reflects the fact that, putting party politics aside, there is broad agreement that governments should be taking this issue seriously if they are to retain public confidence,” commented Chris Skidmore, chair of the Climate Action Coalition and chair of the Net Zero Review.
“As we saw in the general election earlier this year, significant gains were made across the UK by parties that understood the importance of protecting the environment. The imperative now is translating this broad yet general support into tangible opportunities to demonstrate how net zero is a triple opportunity to deliver economic growth and better jobs, cheaper bills and stronger energy security – in contrast to the high costs of foreign-owned fossil fuels that are keeping our energy prices too high.”
Climate action
Elsewhere, UK citizens they are ‘better informed’ about climate actions, with 42% saying they receive adequate information on actions they can take, compared to only 24% of Americans.
Both Britons and Americans want more information about the costs and savings of personal climate action to motivate change. For instance, 47% of Britons and 42% of Americans are interested in understanding potential cost savings.
“Whilst views on climate change are split in line with political allegiances, the majority of the British public and over a third of the US public consider climate change to be an important issue and are also more optimistic than pessimistic about stopping the effects of climate change,” added Rachel Brisley, head of environment and energy, Ipsos UK.
“Addressing the information needs identified through this research, specifically messaging round the costs and benefits of climate action, would benefit those interested in taking such action. Climate scepticism, however, is still very much evident and potentially reinforced by perceived linkages to political agendas.” Read more here.
