Climate change accepted by a majority around the world

"That climate change is happening and that humanity is at least partly responsible is a view held by the majority across the world," according to YouGov's report of a new international poll of people in twenty-eight countries and regions.

"The climate is changing and human activity is mainly responsible" was most popular in India (71 percent) and least popular in Norway and Saudi Arabia (35 percent), with the U.S. toward the bottom of the pack (38 percent). 

"The climate is changing and human activity is partly responsible, together with other factors" was most popular in China, Denmark, and Norway (48 percent), and least popular view in India (23 percent), with the U.S. in the middle (37 percent).

The views that human activity is at least partly responsible were most popular in Spain, Thailand, and Vietnam (96 percent) and least popular in Saudi Arabia (71 percent), with the U.S. next to Saudi Arabia (75 percent).

"The climate is changing but human activity is not responsible at all" was most popular in the U.S. (9 percent), with Norway in second place (8 percent) and Egypt and Saudi Arabia in third place (7 percent), and least popular in Thailand (1 percent).

"The climate is not changing" was the most popular in the U.S. (6 percent), with Australia and Saudi Arabia in second place (5 percent), and least popular in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Qatar, and Taiwan (0 percent).

All of the polls were conducted on-line from June 11 to July 22, 2019 with samples of over 1000 people; "in many of the countries the internet penetration is low to the point where the sample can only be said to be representative to the online population."

Glenn Branch
Short Bio

Glenn Branch is Deputy Director of NCSE.

branch@ncse.ngo