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International Perceptions of Climate
Change Over the Past 25 Years
A Systematic Literature Review
Wouter Poortinga, Stuart Capstick, Lorraine Whitmarsh,
Nick Pidgeon, and Paul Upham
Our Common Future under Climate Change
Our Common Future under Climate Change, Paris, France 7-10 July 2015
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This Presentation
Capstick et al 2015
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• Changes over time warrant attention as may undermine responses to climate change
– supply side: community opposition can lead to delays/cancellations low-carbon facilities
– demand side: willingness to take action against climate change and compliance with policies
• With >25 years of public perception research, we are in a position to take stock of key trends and social forces underlying trends.
• Systematic review of the literature (1989-2014)
– outline international trends over past quarter century
– identify contextual factors underlying temporal trends
Background
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Systematic Review
Capstick et al 2015
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Systematic Review
• International perceptions of climate change over the
past quarter century
Publications and studies included in the review:
1. early studies (n=7)
2. descriptive polling (n=33)
3. studies linked to events / time series (n=12)
4. qualitative longitudinal studies (n=5)
Capstick et al 2015
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International Trends in Perceptions
• Key periods in public perceptions of climate change
over the past quarter century
1. 1980s - Early 1990s: Increasing knowledge and awareness
2. Early 1990s - Mid 2000s: Growth and fluctuation in concern
3. Mid 2000s - Early 2010s: Increasing scepticism/ polarization
4. Present: A new phase for public perceptions?
• Drivers of trends in public perceptions
1. key events
2. weather conditions and events
3. (socio-) economic conditions
Capstick et al 2015
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• Early studies (Capstick et al 2015)
International Trends in Perceptions
Dunlap & Scarce 1991
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• Public attitudes from mid-1990s to mid-2000s
– increasing levels of awareness and concern
– ‘universal’ awareness from late 1990s onwards
– interest/concern ‘peaked’ around 2005-2008
International Trends in Perceptions
Poortinga et al 2011:
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Gallup
Change between 2007 -2010
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Drivers of Climate Change Perceptions
• Drivers of trends in public perceptions
1. key events
2. weather conditions and events
3. (socio-) economic conditions
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Key Events
1. Kyoto Protocol
– no changes in public opinion; but political polarisation in support for action (Krosnick et al 2000)
2. The Day After Tomorrow
– altered views of watchers; but not sufficient to change public opinion (Leiserowitz 2004)
3. Climate Gate
– substantial impact on public views, but limited change in trust (Leiserowitz 2013)
– limited evidence in UK (BBC/Populus 2010)
– low public awareness of climate gate (Leiserowitz et al 2010)
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Weather Conditions and Events
• Joireman et al 2010 – positive correlation between the outdoor
temperature and beliefs in GW
– heat primes increase believe in GW
• “Anomaly” analyses – Deryugina (2013): short term anomalies (<2 weeks)
don’t have an effect; longer term anomalies (>1
month) do
– Donner & McDaniels (2013): 3-12 month
temperature anomaly has effect
– Egan & Mullin (2012): weekly anomaly
associated with GW beliefs; but effect
diminishes over time
• Capstick et al 2015 – 2014 winter floods: British public have made connections with climate change
– Climate change more salient &‘immediate’ for those living in flood areas
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Economic Conditions
Gallup
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Climate
serious issue
Climate
Concern
GDP Change (2008-2009) 0.28 0.49**
Unemployment (Dec 2008) -0.40* -0.23
Unemployment (year change) -0.43* -0.52**
Eurobarometer 2008-2009 (change)
cf. Scruggs and Benegal 2012
Economic Conditions
Climate serious issue: CC in top 2 most serious problems facing the world
Climate Concern : climate change is a serious problem at this moment
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Climate
serious issue
Climate
Concern
GDP Change (2010-2011) 0.08 -0.09
Unemployment (May 2011) 0.14 0.05
Unemployment (year change) -0.19 0.09
Unemployment (2008-2011) 0.04 0.04
Eurobarometer 2009-2011 (change)
cf. Scruggs and Benegal 2012
Economic Conditions
Climate serious issue: CC in top 2 most serious problems facing the world
Climate Concern : climate change is a serious problem at this moment
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• Is there an Issue Attention Cycle for Climate Change
Issue Attention Cycle (Downs 1972) Source: Petersen 2009
An Issue Attention Cycle?
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“The current 34% worry is essentially the same as it was in 1989”
An Issue Attention Cycle?
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JPI Climate/ European Social Survey
• Context and personal circumstances hardly ever studied in conjunction with individual-psychological factors
– can only be examined with cross-national research
Weather
Economy
Media Education Energy Infrastructure
Political representation
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• Provide the first theoretically-grounded, systematic
comparison of the individual and socio-political drivers
of climate change and energy perceptions at the
European level (UK, Germany, France, Norway)
1) Conduct directly comparable nationally
representative surveys of public opinion
(our core objective).
2) Carry out in-depth analyses of the
socio-political context in each
participating nation
(to inform the survey design).
3) Produce and disseminate
a series of recommendations
for public engagement at the
national and European level.
JPI Climate (European Perceptions of CC)
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http://www.europeansocialsurvey.org
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Many Thanks
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[email protected]
@wouterpoortinga