Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

2. Worry and Perceived Risks Regarding Climate Change

2.1. A majority of respondents in every country and territory are worried about climate change.

A majority of respondents in every country and territory surveyed say they are “very” or “somewhat” worried about climate change, ranging from more than nine in ten respondents in Mexico (94%), Costa Rica (92%), and Colombia (91%) to half of respondents in Egypt (50%). In the United States, about two-thirds of respondents (66%) say they are “very” or “somewhat” worried about climate change – nearly two times as many as say they are “not very” or “not at all” worried about it (34%).

2.2. Many respondents think climate change will harm them personally.

A majority of respondents in 24 out of 31 surveyed countries and territories think climate change will harm them personally either “a great deal” or “a moderate amount,” including majorities in five countries that say climate change will harm them “a great deal.” Respondents are the most likely to say that climate change will personally harm them “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” in Mexico (83%), Vietnam (83%), and Costa Rica (80%), and the least likely to say so in the Czech Republic (28%). In the United States, about half of respondents (49%) think climate change will harm them personally either “a great deal” or “a moderate amount,” while about one in five (21%) do not think climate change will harm them at all.

2.3. Most respondents think climate change will harm future generations.

A majority of respondents in nearly every country or territory say that climate change will harm future generations “a great deal” or “a moderate amount,” ranging from nearly nine in ten respondents in Mexico (89%) to just under half of respondents in Egypt (48%). In fact, a majority of respondents in 23 countries and territories say climate change will harm future generations “a great deal.”

In the United States, most respondents say climate change will harm future generations either “a great deal” (54%) or “a moderate amount” (16%), while about one in ten (11%) say that climate change will not harm future generations at all.

2.4. Climate change is personally important to most respondents.

A majority of respondents in 24 of the 31 surveyed countries and territories say that the issue of climate change is either “extremely” or “very” important to them personally. Respondents are the most likely to say that climate change is “extremely” or “very” important in Costa Rica (81%), followed by Italy (78%), Colombia (78%), and the Philippines (78%). Respondents are the least likely to say so in Egypt (31%), Russia (31%), the Czech Republic (32%), and the Netherlands (32%). In the United States, about half of respondents (49%) say that climate change is “extremely” or “very” important to them, while 13% say it is “not at all” important.