75 Percent View Climate Change as Extreme Concern

According to an August 2022 Pew Research Study:

Among the many threats facing the globe, climate change stands out as an extreme concern among citizens in advanced economies, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. A median of 75% across nineteen countries in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region label global climate change as a significant threat.

The survey finds that people continue to see climate change as one of the greatest threats to their country. This is especially true in Europe, where more say climate change is a significant threat to their country than at any time in the past decade in most countries. The results come as wildfires and extreme heat across Europe cause massive disruption to life.

Despite the dire concerns about climate change in Europe, problems are muted in the U.S., as they have been for years. Views on climate change as a threat are linked to political divisiveness in the U.S., something also seen in the other countries surveyed, with those on the ideological left showing more concern about climate change than those on the right.

People worldwide also express optimism that their country's problems can be solved by working with other countries. A median of 64% say many issues can be solved by working together, while only 31% say that few problems can be solved through international cooperation.

The most optimistic sentiment on international cooperation in the current survey comes from Sweden, where 81% say that many problems facing the country can be solved by working with other countries.

Across the 11 European countries, a median of 70% share this view. And in most countries surveyed, those who say many of the problems facing their country can be fixed by working with other countries are also more positively inclined toward the UN.  

While people in these nineteen countries often view climate change as the top threat, concern for the other threats tested is not diminished. Majorities in eighteen of these countries view the spread of false information online and cyberattacks from other countries as major threats, even as few rank either as the top threat.