The publics’ concern for global warming: A cross-national study of 47 countries

Abstract

This article relies on data from the 2005–09 World Values Survey to examine individual and cross-national variation in perception of the seriousness of global warming. The data show that a large majority of the public in all countries are concerned about the problem of global warming and that this assessment is part of a broader concern for global environmental issues. The widespread concern implies that global warming has the potential to generate mass political participation and demand for political action. Motivated by a value-based approach to the study of public opinion, the article shows that perception of the seriousness of the problem is positively correlated with high education, post-materialism, and a leftist position on the left–right scale. In addition, religious beliefs are important, suggesting that there is some diversity in the value basis for the issue and that it is not only linked to the ‘new-politics’ perspective. Variation across nations in wealth and CO2 emissions is not significantly related to the publics’ assessments of the problem, and, somewhat counterintuitively, people from countries relatively more exposed to climate-related natural disasters are less concerned about global warming. We suggest possible explanations for the latter finding and discuss our results in relation to the broader literature on environmental change, insecurity, and the potential for conflict.

Trust and Public Support for Environmental Protection in Diverse National Contexts

“…Increasing numbers of studies are presenting multilevel analyses of data on environmental attitudes from multiple countries (e.g., Fairbrother 2013;Franzen and Meyer 2010;Gelissen 2007;Givens and Jorgenson 2013;Harring 2013;Jorgenson and Givens 2014;Kvaløy, Finseraas, and Listhaug 2012;Marquart-Pyatt 2012;Pampel 2014). However, few have identified factors that correlate cross-nationally with environmental concern or preferences, whereas this article shows that political trust predicts not only differences across individuals in their support for environmental protection but also differences across countries.…”

Green Returns to Education: Does Schooling Contribute to Pro-Environmental Behaviours? Evidence from Thailand

“…While cross-national studies consistently reported higher concern about climate change among individuals with higher education (Kvaloy et al, 2012;Running, 2013;Tjernstrom and Tietenberg, 2008), in the United States there is evidence of an inverse relationship between education and perceived climate change risks, both for general education (O'Connor, Bard, & Fisher, 1999) and specific science literacy and numeracy (Kahan et al, 2012). Political orientation coupled with disinformation campaign and successful movement by conservative think tanks explain why concern about climate change can be negatively associated with education among American population (Hamilton, 2011;McCright and Dunlap, 2003).…”

The Effect of Elite Polarization: A Comparative Perspective on How Party Elites Influence Attitudes and Behavior on Climate Change in the European Union

“…Moreover, people differ in the extent to which they have taken personal action in fighting climate change [3]. While there are notable exceptions [4,5], not enough attention has been paid to the major differences that exist between countries in public opinion on climate change and how factors at the national level influence individuals. Furthermore, insufficient focus has been put on how public opinion is translated into behavior, an area that "we need to know far more about" [6] (p. 41).…”