Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

1. Climate Change Awareness and Beliefs

1.1. Most Indonesians know a little to nothing about climate change

In order to make informed decisions about how to respond to a threat, individuals, policymakers, and societies must be aware of and have at least a basic understanding of the threat. Only 2% of Indonesians say they know “a lot” about climate change, while 20% say they know “a moderate amount” about it. By contrast, a majority of Indonesians (73%) say either they know “a little” about climate change (53%), or have “never heard of it” (21%)For tabulation purposes, percentage points are rounded to the nearest whole number. Summed response categories (e.g., “a little” + “never heard of it”) are rounded after sums are calculated..

It is important to note, however, that lack of awareness of the issue by name does not mean that individuals are not aware of or worried about climate-related changes and impacts, as evidenced by the results that follow. This suggests that many people in Indonesia have observed changes in their local climate and weather patterns without understanding that these changes are often related to the broader issue of climate change.

1.2. A large majority of Indonesians think climate change is happening.

After being asked about their level of knowledge about climate change, respondents were given a short definition: “Climate change refers to the idea that the world’s average temperature has been increasing over the past 150 years, may be increasing more in the future, and that the world’s climate and weather patterns may change as a result.” They were then asked, “Do you think that climate change is happening?”

After hearing the short description, a large majority of Indonesians (86%) said they think climate change is happening. By comparison, only 4% said they think climate change is not happening, while 10% said they don’t know.  1.3. A majority of Indonesians think climate change is caused mostly by human activities.

A majority of Indonesians say that if climate change is happening, it is caused mostly by human activities (65%), while 31% say it is caused mostly by natural changes in the environment. Few say that climate change is not happening (1%), or that they don’t know (2%).

1.4. Indonesians are most likely to think that deforestation and vehicles that use petrol or diesel cause climate change.

According to Climate Watch, in 2022 land-use change and forestry was the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Indonesia, followed by electricity and heat, manufacturing and construction, and transportationClimate Watch (2025). Climate Watch Historical GHG Emissions. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute. https://www.climatewatchdata.org/ghg-emissions . Other sectors, such as buildings, comprise only a small amount of the total greenhouse gas emissions in Indonesia.

Large majorities of Indonesians correctly say that climate change is caused by deforestation (90%), vehicles that use petrol or diesel (86%), or electricity power plants that use coal or natural gas (77%). However, only about one in four (27%) understand that raising animals like cows, sheep, and chickens for milk or food causes climate change. 

Large majorities of Indonesians also incorrectly say that littering (84%) or the hole in the ozone layer (71%) cause climate change. Finally, a large majority of Indonesians (73%) attribute climate change to God’s will (Kehendak Tuhan).