Public attitudes to climate change, 2008: concerned but still unconvinced
New research by Ipsos, updating last year's Turning Point or Tipping Point report, finds the public concerned about climate change but far from convinced about the science or the Government's green agenda. Many believe leading scientists remain undecided on the exact causes of climate change, and while they want Government to do more they are also cynical, especially around green taxation.
The research also shows the challenges facing government in enabling individuals to act. Despite high levels of personal interest in climate change, the public do not consider individual action to tackle climate change a "normal" thing in their area, nor do they believe that others are willing to make big sacrifices for the environment. There remains little evidence of systemic behaviour change as people see their responsibility largely in terms of "doing their bit" with small steps like recycling and turning off lights at home, rather than contemplating significant or radical changes to their lifestyle.
Technical Note
Ipsos interviewed 1,039 British adults 15+. Fieldwork was conducted Face to Face and in home, 23 - 29 May 2008. Data are weighted to the known national population profile. An '*' indicates a finding of less than 0.5%, but greater than zero. Where percentages do not add up to exactly 100% this may be due to rounding error or exclusion of `don't know' responses.
