Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

1. Global Warming Awareness and Beliefs

1.1 More than four in ten people in India know just a little about global warming or have never heard of it.

In order to make informed decisions about how to respond to a threat, individuals, policymakers, and societies must be aware of the threat and have at least a basic understanding of it. More than half of people in India (53%) say they know “a lot” (17%) or “something” (36%) about global warming, while 44% say they know “just a little” (17%) about global warming or that they have “never heard of it” (27%; refer to data tables, p. 41).

This is the first time since our surveys began in 2011 that a majority of people in India say they know at least “something” about global warming.

Additionally, it is important to note that lack of awareness of the issue does not mean that individuals are not worried about climate-related environmental hazards, as evidenced in our survey on Climate Impacts and Attribution in India. This suggests that many people in India have observed changes in their local climate and weather patterns without understanding that these changes are often related to the broader issue of global warming.

1.2 Nearly all people in India think global warming is happening.

After being asked about their level of knowledge about global warming, respondents were given a short definition of it: “Global warming 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, “What do you think? Do you think that global warming is happening?”

After hearing the short description, nearly all people in India (96%) say they think global warming is happening, which is 18 percentage points higher than in 2023 and 12 percentage points higher than in February 2025.It is important to note that some data collection overlapped with the record-breaking and unusually early heat wave that began in India in early April 2025. By comparison, only 3% of people in India say they think global warming is not happening, while 1% say they don’t know (refer to data tables, p. 41).

1.3 A majority of people in India think global warming is primarily human-caused.

A majority of people in India say that if global warming is happening, it is caused mostly by human activities (58%), while 34% say it is caused mostly by natural changes in the environment. Few say there is some other cause (3%), that there is not any cause because it’s not happening (1%), or that they don’t know (3%).

1.4 A majority of people in India think plastic pollution and diesel or petrol vehicles cause global warming.

According to Climate Watch, in 2022 energy generation was the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in India, followed by agriculture, manufacturing and construction, and transportation.Climate Watch (2025). Climate Watch Historical GHG Emissions. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute. https://www.climatewatchdata.org/ghg-emissions Other sectors, such as waste, comprise only a small amount of the total greenhouse gas emissions in India.

A large majority of people in India (82%) say that vehicles that use petrol or diesel cause global warming “a lot” (65%) or “some” (17%). A majority (61%) also say that electricity power plants that use coal or propane cause global warming. However, only about one in four Indians (26%) understand that raising animals like cows, sheep, and chickens for milk or food causes global warming.

A large majority of people in India (84%) also incorrectly say that plastic pollution causes global warming. Finally, many Indians (37%) attribute global warming to Gods’ will.

1.5 A large majority of people in India say they have personally experienced the effects of global warming.

A large majority of people in India (89%) agree that they have personally experienced the effects of global warming. By contrast, only 10% disagree, while few (1%) say they don’t know (refer to data tables, p. 43).

The percentage of people in India who agree that they have personally experienced global warming is 8 percentage points higher than in our previous survey conducted in February 2025. The percentage who “strongly agree” is 9 percentage points higher than in February 2025, and 49 percentage points higher than in our first survey in 2011.

1.6 Most people in India think global warming affects monsoons and local weather.

Most people in India think global warming affects monsoons in India (83%) or weather in their local area (79%) either “a lot” or “some.” This includes 64% of people who say that global warming affects monsoons in India “a lot” and 56% who say that global warming is affecting the weather in their local area “a lot.” By comparison, few people say that global warming does not affect monsoons in India at all (2%) or that it does not affect the weather in their local area at all (3%).