Nearly 40% of those surveyed said climate change, pollution and the environment were among their top three concerns. Pandemic came second with 27% and Brexit third with 22%. Ipsos MORI interviewed more than 1,000 adults who answered spontaneously and were not prompted with options as to the answer.
Climate concern was 16 percent higher in November than in October, when people expressed more concern about Brexit, the pandemic and the economy.
The Ipsos Mori poll showed that there was a similar distribution of climate concern across age groups, gender and political affiliation.
,[It’s] Very encouraging that climate change is no longer reserved for the young and liberal,” Gabriella Ziga-Boy, a senior lecturer in psychology at Swansea University, told CNN. “It means that British society may not be very divided about Climate change. This is very important at this point in time, when we tend to discuss a lot about issues, whether real or false, polarized, and we often exaggerate how polarized people really are.”
Climate is also a top concern for older people
The survey showed that men and women almost equally considered the climate crisis a top issue at 40% and 41%, respectively. And supporters of the centre-right Conservative Party and centre-left Labor Party were similar in their concern for climate issues.
In the age group 55 and above, 47% said it was a top issue. For the 35 to 54 age group, it was 43%. Only 27% of those aged 18 to 34 said the same, although those in that age group were less likely to say they were concerned about a particular issue.
Ralitsa Hiteva, Senior Research Fellow in the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex Business School, said climate change is now a top priority among most groups because the topic is to “get individualized”. The same is true of how policies like the net-zero emissions target can affect them.
Hiteva told CNN, “We’re seeing that people are personally affected by things related to the goal of Net Zero, and seeing and experiencing the effects of climate change – from large wildfires to energy shortages.” Until a rapid increase in price.” an email.
While concern about the climate crisis is substantial even among age groups, support for different types of climate action is more divisive.
“Elderly people are more willing to pay for investments in infrastructure to improve the experience of future generations, while those aged 18-25 are willing to pay more for improvements they experience in their lifetime. will not do.” , citing his own research on climate action.
“The only way for this to translate into action is to harness the momentum of the moment and engage people with re-imagining how infrastructure investments can be designed and used in an innovative way that is not only for the environment kinder but also more inclusive and fair.”
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