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Description
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The global climate, a shared resource, needs collaborative efforts worldwide. A behavioral science perspective can help to better understand the human factor, which is crucial in addressing climate change. To improve our knowledge about the global willingness to cooperate and act against climate change, a team of researchers comprising Armin Falk, Peter Andre, Teodora Boneva, and Felix Chopra designed and conducted a globally representative survey. The study aimed to assess the potential for successful global climate action by exploring individuals' willingness to contribute to the common good and their perceptions of others' willingness.
Drawing from multidisciplinary literature on cooperation, the study focused on four critical behavioral facets: the willingness to incur personal costs, the emergence of social norms, the demand for political action, and the belief that others will act as well (conditional cooperation). Close to 130,000 individual interviews were conducted in 125 countries, with nationally representative samples collectively representing 92% of the global population, 96% of greenhouse gas emissions, and 96% of the world’s GDP.
Main Findings
The study reveals three main findings. Firstly, global support for climate action is widespread and substantial, with about two-thirds of the global population expressing willingness to contribute 1% of their income. Social norms favoring climate action were nearly universal (86%), and a majority (89%) called for increased political action.
Secondly, individuals in more vulnerable countries demonstrated significantly higher willingness to contribute, while richer countries exhibited relatively lower willingness.
Thirdly, a perception gap exists globally, with people underestimating the widespread support for climate action in their countries by an average of 26 percentage points.
Conclusion
The findings have implications for successful global climate action. While the world demonstrates readiness to combat climate change, a significant obstacle lies in the "pluralistic ignorance" that hampers accurate perception of others' attitudes. Effective communication is crucial to correct this perception gap and mobilize collective action, emphasizing that the majority supports climate action and expects governmental commitment.
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Related Publication
| Andre, P., Boneva, T., Chopra, F., & Falk, A. (2024). Globally Representative Evidence on the Actual and Perceived Support for Climate Action. Nature Climate Change.
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