As we describe in detail in the Introduction to our first report about this survey (Climate Change in the Indian Mind, 2022), India accounts for nearly 18% of the global population (IEA, 2021) and, in 2020, was the third largest national emitter of greenhouse gases, following China and the United States (Crippa et al, 2021). India is also one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change (Krishnan et al., 2020; Mani et al., 2018; Mohanty & Wadhawan, 2021).
In this report, we expand on the previous report and identify Global Warming’s Four Indias: four distinct audiences within the Indian population that each respond to global warming in different ways. The four audiences were identified using a large nationally representative survey of Indian adults conducted in October 2021 through January 2022. The survey questionnaire included extensive measures of public responses to global warming, including beliefs, risk perceptions, policy preferences, behaviors, and vulnerabilities. The Four Indias are distinguishable on all these dimensions, and have different levels of engagement with the issue. We provide in-depth descriptions of the differences among the four audiences on these dimensions as well as their demographic and social characteristics.
One of the first rules of effective communication is to “know your audience.” Understanding the climate change opinions of diverse segments of the Indian population can help educators, communicators, and policymakers develop tailored communication strategies. Successfully addressing the climate crisis requires a diversity of messages, messengers, and methods, each tailored to meet the needs of different audiences to more effectively promote understanding and engagement across the Indian public.
The approach to this work is based on the established methodology of the Global Warming’s Six Americas project conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. This approach to audience segmentation identifies and differentiates groups of people who share similar opinions and responses to climate change, and has been used by communicators such as educators, scientists, policymakers, journalists, advocates, and government agencies. Similar climate opinion segmentations have been implemented in other countries, including Australia, Germany, Singapore, Ireland, and globally.
The audience segmentation approach helps communicators identify and understand their target audiences in order to engage them more effectively in climate science and solutions. Importantly, however, this analysis cannot reflect the full diversity and complexity of Indian society, including its rich cultural, economic, political, and linguistic diversity. What distinguishes each group, however, is that its members share similar views and responses to climate change – views and responses that differ from members of each of the other groups. Importantly, these four groups are defined solely by the topic of climate change. The groups will likely shift in proportion and responses over time as public discourse and action on the issue evolves.
References
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International Energy Agency. (2021). India Energy Outlook 2021 [World Energy Outlook Special Report]. OECD. https://doi.org/10.1787/ec2fd78d-en
Krishnan, R., Sanjay, J., Gnanaseelan, C., Mujumdar, M., Kulkarni, A., & Chakraborty, S. (Eds.). (2020). Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region: A Report of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India. Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4327-2
Leiserowitz, A., Thaker, J., Carman, J., Neyens, L., Rosenthal, S., Deshmukh, Y., Shukla G., Marlon, J., Sircar, A., & Sekoff, S. (2022). Climate Change in the Indian Mind, 2022. Yale University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
Mani, M., Bandyopadhyay, S., Chonabayashi, S., Markandya, A., & Mosier, T. (2018). South Asia’s Hotspots: The Impact of Temperature and Precipitation Changes on Living Standards. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/28723
Mohanty, A., & Wadhawan, S. (2021). Mapping India’s Climate Vulnerability—A District Level Assessment. Council on Energy, Environment and Water. https://www.ceew.in/sites/default/files/ceew-study-on-climate-change-vulnerability-index-and-district-level-risk-assessment.pdf