6 in 10 Urban Indians are worried about climate change: Ipsos Global Survey on World Earth Day 2022

Today is World Earth Day. And this year’s Earth Day theme: Invest in your Planet. How concerned are citizens for the planet?

A global survey by Ipsos to capture public opinion on Climate Change for World Earth Day 2022 shows at least 1 in 2 global citizens (48%) and 3 in 5 urban Indians (63%) are worried about Climate Change. The markets most concerned included Colombia (71%), Chile (69%) and Italy (69%). And the markets least concerned were China (28%) and Russia (28%).

“The manifestations of Climate Change are increasingly visible in India,  as droughts and flash floods and it has actually upset the seasonal cycles and led to increased warming. Hearteningly, there is also heightened awareness as people realize that this planet, is all they have,” says Amit Adarkar, CEO, Ipsos India.    

Accountability increasing across stakeholders   

The survey shows the accountability for combating climate change will need to be borne by all stakeholders - 7 in 10 urban Indians (71%) believe govt needs to prioritize combating climate change, else it runs the risk of failing its people; 69% believe businesses will need to act now else it would be failing its employees and customers;  3 in 4 urban Indians (75%) believe citizens at an individual level will need to act to combat climate change, else they’ll be failing future generations.   

Govt, businesses and individuals play their share in mitigating the impact

The survey  shows if reducing carbon emissions is the goal, then 82% of those polled  believe the biggest responsibility rests with the govt and 82% put individuals at par with govt in taking responsibility; followed by 79% exhorting businesses to step up in lowering of carbon emissions. And 2 in 3 (65%) believe govt has a plan in place on how govt, businesses and individuals will be working together in combating climate change.

“When govt bans single use plastics, then businesses are forced to choose ecofriendly packaging and individuals too  are compelled to act. Likewise for other  climate friendly measures.  To that extent, affirmative government action will set the tone for the nation.,” added Adarkar.

Onus on industries in reducing carbon emissions – highest on energy companies, but others equally responsible   

Urban Indians believe every industry needs to step up in combating climate change by reducing their carbon emissions. Car manufacturers (81%), airlines (78%), public transport and providers (81%),  household goods providers (81%), clothing and fashion brands (78%), financial services providers (72%), energy companies and providers (83%), tech and electronics companies (79%), hospitality (80%) and online retail (75%).  

“Every sector will need to bear the onus in adopting changes in their business DNA. It’s like rewiring and rebooting for ecofriendly systems that do not abuse the environment,” said Adarkar.

Note to Editors:

• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 23,577 adults aged 16-74 in 30 different countries globally and 16-99 in Norway. Interviews were conducted using the Ipsos online panel system between 18 February – 4 March 2022. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population of this audience. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.
• The countries reporting here in are Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, mainland China, Chile, Colombia, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States of America.