Urban Indians exhort govt to prioritize environment protection in COVID19 recovery: Ipsos World Environment Day Global Survey

A global survey by Ipsos on World Environment Day shows most urban Indians (89%) are concerned about the environment and will like the government to prioritize and include environment protection in COVID-19 recovery.  Similar view is seen to be echoed by global citizens.

Three in four people in 16 major countries expect their government to make protection of the environment a priority when planning a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a global Ipsos poll conducted to mark World Environment Day.

In a survey of 16,000 people from May 21 to 24, a majority of people in all 16 countries agreed with this action with the highest support in emerging markets of China (91%), India and Mexico (89%), Brazil (85%), and South Africa (84%).

Disagreement over making the environment a government priority in the COVID-19 recovery is highest in Germany (36%), South Korea (29%), Japan and Russia ( 27%), the United States and Canada (23%).

Taking stock

In fact, the survey shows, at least 88% of urban Indians polled are deeply concerned with the impact of environment issues on health, and the serious threat posed by environment issues like pollution, climate change,  water contamination, etc.   

Interestingly, the survey shows that there is a strong consensus among urban Indians towards accountability – at least 88% urban Indians polled believe their generation needs to protect the planet and personally desist from actions that are contributory in destroying the planet further.

Further, at least 2 in 3 Indians (67%) believe and caution, of late, protecting the environment has receded in the background and is being accorded low priority and needs renewed focus.

“While tackling COVID19 is priority, the survey shows, urban Indians want parity for environment issues with COVID19 recovery plan, from the government. Environment issues are equally detrimental to health,” said Amit Adarkar, CEO, Ipsos in India.

About the Study

These are the results of an Ipsos survey conducted May 21st to 24th, 2020 on the Global Advisor online platform among 15,951 adults aged 18-74 in Canada and the United States and 16-74 in Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Where available, tracking results from previous studies conducted through March and April, as well as selected results from February, are referenced by date.

The sample for this study consists of approximately 1,000 individuals in each country. The samples in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. can be taken as representative of these countries’ general adult population over age 16 or 18 (as above) and under the age of 75. The sample in Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa is more urban, more educated and/or more affluent than the general population and should be viewed as reflecting the views of the more “connected” segment of the population. The data is weighted so that each market’s sample composition best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the most recent census data.

Where results do not sum up to 100 or the ‘difference’ appears to be +/-1 more/less than the actual, this may be due to rounding, multiple responses or the exclusion of don't knows or not stated responses. The precision of Ipsos online polls is calculated using a credibility interval with a poll of 1,000 accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points. For more information on the Ipsos use of credibility intervals, please visit the Ipsos website (www.Ipsos.com).