Climate change

New research by Ipsos shows people around the world are not very likely to make environmentally friendly changes that would have the most impact on cutting carbon emissions. Less than half say they are likely to make changes such as eating fewer dairy products (41%), eating less meat (44%), changing their household heating system to a low carbon system (44%), despite these being some of the most effective ways in cutting carbon emissions.

In a new global survey of 23,577 adults aged 16 – 74 in 31 countries, Ipsos found that climate change is a regular concern for half of people across a global country average. Concern is notably higher in Latin American countries, with Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Argentina and Italy all leading the way as those who think about the effects of climate change on their countries most frequently. Conversely Great Britain ranks in the bottom five countries who don’t think about climate change as much, beaten only by Japan, the Netherlands, Russia and China.

Concern about the coronavirus is fluctuating from country to country but declining overall. Ipsos regularly uses a list of eighteen issues and test it in 28 countries across the world to establish the answer to this question: What Worries the World?

Only 31% of online citizens agree that their country’s government has a clear plan in place for how government, businesses and people themselves are going to work together to tackle climate change

Our monthly round-up of Ipsos research and thinking reflects on the world one year on from Covid-19, looks forward to the world in 2025 and beyond, and presents new white papers on customer experience, product innovation and research methods.

At the beginning of 2020, eight in every ten (80%) online South Africans believed that the average temperatures would increase during the year to come. This opinion was shared by 77% of citizens across the world surveyed at the time. (Ipsos South Africa press release “Predictions 2020”, published on 20 January 2020.)

The latest Ipsos Global @dvisor poll was carried out in 28 countries around the world at the end of 2017. It asked over 21,500 online adults aged under 64 their predictions for 2018.

Welcome to the first Ipsos Update of 2017 - our monthly selection of research and thinking from Ipsos’ teams around the world.