International Surveys Show Environmental Issues Rank Low Among Most People’s Concerns
From the University of Chiago, Chicago, IL–A newly released international study reveals that the issue of climate change is not a priority for people in the United States and around the world.
The surveys showed that when asked to rank priority worries, people were five times more likely to point to the economy over the environment. Additionally, when asked about climate change, people identified the issue as more of a national problem than a personal concern.
Coordinated surveys, conducted by the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) in 33 countries from 1993 through 2010, “are the first and only surveys that put long-term attitudes toward environmental issues in general and global climate change in particular in an international perspective,” said Tom W. Smith, Director of the General Social Survey, a project of the independent research organization NORC at the University of Chicago, and author of a paper that summarizes the surveys.
In the surveys, respondents were asked the relative importance of eight issues: health care, education, crime, the environment, immigration, the economy, terrorism and poverty.
The economy ranked highest in concern in 15 countries, followed by health care in eight, education in six, poverty in two, and terrorism and crime in one country each. Immigration and the environment did not make the top of the list in any country over the 17-year period; in the United States, the economy ranked as the highest concern, while concern for the environment ranked sixth.
In terms of national averages, the order of concern was the economy (25 percent); health care (22.2) education (15.6); poverty (11.6); crime (8.6) environment (4.7), immigration (4.1) and terrorism (2.6), the surveys showed. Terrorism’s low ranking was notable in light of the widespread attention the issue has received since 2001, though it topped the list of concerns in Turkey.
The paper, “Public Attitudes towards Climate Change and Other Global Environmental Issues across Time and Countries, 1993-2010,” was presented recently at the “Policy Workshop: Public Attitudes and Environmental Policy in Canada and Europe, Canada-European Transatlantic Dialogue,” at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
NORC is issuing the survey summary on behalf of the ISSP, a consortium of survey research organizations in 49 countries. The ISSP coordinates studies on topics worldwide and uses the same scientific standards to make the findings representative of the nations’ populations.
A focus on the environment
In the United States, only 3.6 percent of the people surveyed selected the environment as the nation’s most pressing issue, as opposed to 15 percent of the people in Norway, which had the highest level of environmental concern.
The surveys also asked questions about worries concerning particular kinds of environmental problems, including global climate change. One asked which problem among nine was most important for their country as a whole as opposed to the individual.
Air pollution ranked first in 13 countries, followed by climate change, which was the top concern in 10 countries. In another question, the surveys asked people which environmental problem they considered most personally dangerous and found that in only three countries was climate change listed as the most dangerous environmental problem, trailing nuclear power plants and industrial air pollution.
“One reason for the relatively low ranking of climate change is that people often believed it did not directly affect them. Climate change is seen more as a country-level problem than as a personal problem,” Smith said. “While 14.6 percent cited it as the most important environmental issue for their country, only 9 percent rated it first for themselves.”
The latest surveys were completed in 2010. Similar surveys have been conducted since 1993, and little change has been noted on people’s concern for climate change. Differences exist among the countries, however, suggesting that widespread public support for current action on the issue will represent a major shift in attitude.
The surveys indicate some expectation for greater future concern about climate change. “The greater mentioning of climate change as a problem by those under 30 versus those 70 and older probably reflects generational effects and if so, should tend to increase levels of concern in the future,” Smith said.
Environmental issues are of greatest concern in Scandinavian nations, Switzerland and Canada. They were followed by France, Austria, Finland, the former West Germany, Taiwan, Korea, and New Zealand. Toward the bottom of the list are Croatia, Latvia, Chile, Turkey, Lithuania and Argentina.
Climate change was listed as the top environmental concern in Japan, West Germany, Canada, Britain and Scandinavia, where between 19 and 26 percent of the population indicated it was their top environmental issue.
Smith is co-founder of the ISSP and on the group’s Standing Committee. He is also Past President the World Association for Public Opinion Research.
The General Social Survey (GSS) is a project of NORC at the University of Chicago with principal funding provided by the National Science Foundation. It is a unique and valuable resource that has tracked the opinions and behaviors of Americans over the last four decades. The GSS is NORC’s longest running project, and one of its most influential. Except for U.S. Census data, the GSS is the most frequently analyzed source of information in the social sciences. More than 20,000 research publications of many types are based on the GSS; and about 400,000 students use the GSS in their classes each year. Since 1985, the GSS has taken part in the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), a consortium of social scientists from 49 countries around the world. The ISSP asks an identical battery of questions in all countries; the U.S. version of these questions is incorporated into the GSS.
NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent research organization headquartered in downtown Chicago with additional offices on the University of Chicago’s campus, the D.C. Metro area, Atlanta, Boston, and San Francisco. NORC also supports a nationwide field staff as well as international research operations. With clients throughout the world, NORC collaborates with government agencies, foundations, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to provide data and analysis that support informed decision making in key areas including health, education, economics, crime, justice, energy, security, and the environment. NORC’s more than 70 years of leadership and experience in data collection, analysis, and dissemination—coupled with deep subject matter expertise—provides the foundation for effective solutions.
Clearly the IPCC must unleash ManBearPig at once to terrorize the countryside and make CAGW real to these slackers who don’t think this personally affects them! /sarc
No, hopefully it will have gotten ‘personal’ by the time household electricity bills have started to rise.
Could the low numbers be an indication that people realize and always realized that global warming is a bunch of hooey?
Just finished reading about this elsewhere.
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/02/26/kelly-mcparland-study-uncovers-massive-global-yawn-over-global-warming/
The politicos just don’t get it. “Green” is not a vote winner- as this poll shows, so why don’t they ditch it?
Ah, silly me – it is a money-maker for the corrupt.
How can it be, you have to wonder, that an issue that has been so thoroughly and relentlessly kept before the public eye for so long a period could have so little impact? Has any issue, other than perhaps the various economic ups and downs that affect the world, been so persistently held up around the world as a matter requiring immediate attention? All those activists, all those unfurled banners from factory smokestacks, all those photos of oil-soaked ducks, all those UN assemblies in exotic locales, all those politicians pledging their concern, all those marches by right-minded citizens, all those blue box programs and third-string actresses handcuffing them to the White House gates …. all that noise and effort, and so little impact.
How could that be?
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/02/26/kelly-mcparland-study-uncovers-massive-global-yawn-over-global-warming/
People SHOULD list global warming as one of their major concerns, because hysteria over it is a huge threat to our individual liberty.
“The surveys indicate some expectation for greater future concern about climate change. “The greater mentioning of climate change as a problem by those under 30 versus those 70 and older probably reflects generational effects and if so, should tend to increase levels of concern in the future,” Smith said.”
Smith Soesn’t understand that those over 70 have lived through a “climate cycle” while those under 30 have only seen the upward swing of the sine wave. Also, those with more years have seen extreme weather happening for many decades rather than a short 30 years. I hope that as those under 30 age they will see that weather has always had extreams and goes through cycles.
MJP
I am finding the UK winter very hard as a direct result of “Green” fuel surcharges.
Next year, OFGEM now has assured us, there WILL be power cuts in the UK.. This, too, is a direct result of the Environmentalist movement.
People are now scheduled to die as a direct result of Environmentalists sustained ideological agitation…not just in the less developed world, where they are already, but in one of the Wests first post-industrialised Green tyrranies. a Green and very unpleasant land already.
The thing about this is its a leveller. whereas the affluent can at present pay extra to heat their homes, when the power is cut, they too will finally start to reap the seeds of misery they have sown.
When ordinary people who have hitherto had no axe to grind in this debate are helpless to prevent the death of their elder relatives through hypothermia, then I think we may begin to see hope of change.
I am afraid that the reaction mayl not be peaceful.
Simple matter. Most people are focused on getting through the month with their income. They worry about paying living expenses, bills, car payments, insurance and such. They have to deal with jobs most do not really like but realize it beats having no money. So when it comes to things that they 1) have little knowledge of and 2) realize they can do nothing about, well, they just don’t see it as a priority in their lives.
It’s been a few years now where climate change has been at the bottom of American priorities surveys. Harry Reid smartly shelved cap and trade and there’s no way he’s going to let an unpopular vote on a carbon tax threaten his 2014 candidate’s prospects.
I’m still pushing for my question to be included in these surveys;
‘what worries you more climate change or a sneezing chicken?’
/sarc
I do hope that the words “national problem” didn’t appear on the asked questions. How has
global warmingclimate change been a “national problem” for the USA? Are crop yields down due to the extra co2? Is there a new Dust Bowl? Is America in drought? If yes then, where is the evidence that it is it caused by man’s co2? Are snow blocked roads the problem? Is corn to fuel the problem? What is the problem caused by a changing climate?Michael says:
February 26, 2013 at 2:55 pm
Smith Soesn’t understand that those over 70 have lived through a “climate cycle” while those under 30 have only seen the upward swing of the sine wave. Also, those with more years have seen extreme weather happening for many decades rather than a short 30 years. I hope that as those under 30 age they will see that weather has always had extreams and goes through cycles.
Nor does he understand that those of us who have been around a while (a little over half a century in my case) have seen all these terrifying scare-stories before. When I was in my teens we were taught (not just told – we were taught, at school) that we were heading for an ice age in our lifetime; in my twenties we all laughed when “The Ice Age is imminent” became “Global Warming’s gonna getcha”. Since then we’ve had, among other things, SARS, Bird Flu, nvCJD, Acid Rain, the Ozone Layer, AIDS predicted to decimate the world population, and so on …
When the current crop of under-30s have lived through a few more scare-stories which don’t ever actually happen, they’ll disbelieve the doom-sayers too.
15 % of Norway , its a wonder that its such a minority.
The government of Norway spends vast amounts of Kroners on this climate rubbish , and the propaganda machine is running smooth too , mostly by 2 political parties that have a green agenda.
The total amount that Norway sends to foreign dictators to refurbish their lear jets is 175 billion knoners.
Funny enough Norway will be the first one that goes into deepfreeze mode.
First rule of government: try to make people care about the things you can actually fix.
Second rule of government: if you can’t fix anything, pretend you can and make people care about that.
Third rule of government: don’t light any fuses that are shorter than your remaining term in office.
While the article talks about peoples opinions of global warming, the questions discussed report “environment”. I am not sure about other people, but for me, these issues are only slightly related. I do care about the environment. I love the outdoors, and want it to be protected. If I had ben asked about “environmental” consernes, it would not have been on the bottom. However, AGW would have been on the bottom. So, assuming the article acuratly reported the information, saying that climat change conserns were at 15% in norway (or whatever) when the question was related to the “environment” is just poor science (not really science, just poor work).
Shoddy thinking for a polster:
“One reason for the relatively low ranking of climate change is that people often believed it did not directly affect them.”
Climategate, and all the rest of the shenanigans of the last few years, coupled with no measurable temperature rise for 17 years plus colder winters in much of the world surely had an effect. How about Texas getting dozens of snow trucks:
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/12/05/north-texas-to-have-its-own-snow-plows-for-the-first-time/
And Wichita, KS breaking a 100yr record for snow:
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climate-weather/stories/21-inches-of-snow-blizzard-buries-kansas-record
It’s not the ordinary person who is stupid on this topic. Let me predict that your “30 year olds” will soon get it and won’t be adding to concern for global warming in the future as you think.
But where is the global warming? This “climate change” change of phrase emphasis is how you know we are dealing with scam artists. Ten years ago it was all “global warming” now it’s references to natural climate variation (because the climate has always changed).
Why the heck should the people of the USA be concerned about something they cannot do anything about? Anybody who claims otherwise is a liar.
Exactly! Many of these people have got their fingers in the pie. Wind farms, carbon schemes etc. Most of them, I suspect, are CAGW sceptics who like to follow the money. Al Gore is the best example I can think of. After all he got $100 million of oil money recently for selling his TV company and has TWO large houses (1 with SIX fireplaces) and is sometimes seen flying on a private jet. He has also chopped and sold tobacco.
Did I mention Occidental Petroleum Corporation shares of the past that made his family rich? Did I mention Pachauri setting up a residual oil extraction company to help big oil?………………………………………………follow the money >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
“Economy” is a term it might be helpful to hone in on.
For example, I can see how some people might not be pleased with outrageous national debt, regulatory takings, rising food and energy costs, unemployment, and insecurity regarding the future value of their retirement plans. This would be a reasonable response to sudden and arbitrary economic policies in important sectors of the economy. All of this may not be as well hidden to the people that make up the “economy” as fancy global consultants might like to think.
Yet some have been quick to suggest in the comments that the surveyees obviously are eking out an existence and aren’t that “into” national issues. And this changes with simple demographics and a new bunch of children from the public schools. It works like physics for them, bada bing bada boom.
The better question to ask is;
Has the internet and alternative media affected your opinion of man-made climate change?
So good we have new US curricula and assessments that actually tie in to what is called ATC21S anywhere else in the world. With the non-fiction and primary source and real world problem push, students can read Ehrlich and Stephen Schneider and never have any idea there’s any dispute. It’s also all through the ecosystem requirements of the new Social Studies Framework. http://www.invisibleserfscollar.com/tearing-up-the-fabric-of-a-free-society-the-new-college-career-and-civic-life-c3-framework/
http://cleanet.org/cln/ccep/science_educati.html is an example of how the Climate Literacy Network and Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities will work. Your tax dollars.
they’ll lose the young CAGW “believers” as soon as young people realise the plan is to grab their inheritances by grabbing their parents’ retirement funds one way or another. the boomer generation’s treasure chest is the only liquidity left in the financial system – and no-one is sure it’s really there either!
The problem with public opinion is that it can turn on a dime. All it takes is the right crisis at the right time to change opinions just long enough to pass new legislation. It could be a new Sandy type storm or a deadly flood or a heat wave. Hopefully, the majority will wise up before any such crisis happens.
These ‘surveys’ don’t really indicate exactly what people are thinking.
However, even if they did, what would be the point? People often think things that are wrong, and then change their minds. Unless you were going to run an election presently? But I thought that this site was about science…?
Regarding –
Michael says:
February 26, 2013 at 2:55 pm
“The surveys indicate some expectation for greater future concern about climate change. “The greater mentioning of climate change as a problem by those under 30 versus those 70 and older probably reflects generational effects and if so, should tend to increase levels of concern in the future,” Smith said.”
Smith Soesn’t understand that those over 70 have lived through a “climate cycle” while those under 30 have only seen the upward swing of the sine wave.
Micheal, and Derek as well, please remember this – the under 30 has had AGW drilled into their heads in school. Yes, there will be a greater concern later about climate change. What Smith misses, though, is that by the time these “under 30s” are 45 or over, the climate may have chilled to the point that they will be VERY interested in how to survive the next mini ice age.
“In the surveys, respondents were asked the relative importance of eight issues: health care, education, crime, the environment, immigration, the economy, terrorism and poverty.”
###
Right out of the gate, this survey shows its Marxist intent by listing only the issues that they like to use as drivers of change.
Whats your favorite color?
In the surveys, respondents were asked the relative appeal of eight colors: pink, maroon, crimson, magenta, red, cinnabar, rust and rose.
Not having the facts to back up a theory will always eventually create problems.
GingerZilla : I’m still pushing for my question to be included in these surveys; ‘what worries you more climate change or a sneezing chicken?’
Hey, avian flu is no joking matter! Climate change on the other hand…
You can only cry wolf for so long before people start to ignore you.
Wamron says:
February 26, 2013 at 2:58 pm
When ordinary people who have hitherto had no axe to grind in this debate are helpless to prevent the death of their elder relatives through hypothermia, then I think we may begin to see hope of change.
————————————–
Yes – I am hoping for that. We will finally get that social justice the progressives love to talk about, when the mobs of angry freezing peasants start dragging the green activists, crooked politicians and crony capitalist green energy crooks down the streets and hanging them from the non-functional street lights.
So why is POTUS pushing an unpopular theme and where did all those freezing protesters come from in Washington? Odd that. Oh yeah. I get it. He wants people to accept a carbon tax to assuage their guilt over not caring. And to foist that tax on all imports. And tie that to foreign policy through John Kerry. Hmm. Wonder what THAT will do to the US economy? Boxer and Sanders have it all figured out. /sarc off.
Those of the population 70 and over have lived through so many scare stories that never came to pass that they apply a heavy discount to them. Remember the cold war, MAD and nuclear armageddon? The oil crisis of the early 70s and how we were all about to run out of oil? The Ice Age scare of the later 70s? Ehrlich’s prognostications of mineral shortages that never happened? The Club of Rome and how we were going to run out of food? SARS?
No doubt there will be more scare stories in the future, none of which will come to pass and which will lead to tomorrow’s 70 year olds being just as cynical. It’s called the benefit of experience.
Sean says:
…
Yes – I am hoping for that. We will finally get that social justice the progressives love to talk about, when the mobs of angry freezing peasants start dragging the green activists, crooked politicians and crony capitalist green energy crooks down the streets and hanging them from the non-functional street lights.
——————————————
Insanely enough, there is evidence to suggest that the ‘angry freezing peasants’ will never get it. Read this over at Bishop Hill:
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2013/2/22/shameless.html
To quote Ron White, ‘You can’t fix stupid.’
But did anyone survey those poor polar bears? 🙂
Ironically, I am concerned about climate change, but I think cooling is much more likely than warming and would also have worse effects, especially considering our large population and its food requirements.
Well myself I am a bit concerned about climate change. Since all the real science seems to be pointing toward a cooling period, ya I am a bit concerned seeing I live at 53N Canada. Move over Floridians, another Canuck in his motorhome coming at ya.
Personally I am very concerned about the environment — particulate pollution, deep sea trawling, pouring plastics into the ocean and so on are in urgent need of attention. Unfortunately so much time. money and effort have been spent on the non-existent CO2 caused global warming issue that tacking really pollution has been badly neglected. I think the survey would have been more useful if it had completely separated out genuine — fact based — environmental concerns from global warming.
Today in the Daily Telegraph Matt got the two least worried about subjects linked beautifully in his cartoon.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/matt/
What’s Kenji’s concern on this subject.
James Bull
Mark Bofill says:
February 26, 2013 at 2:11 pm
Clearly the IPCC must unleash ManBearPig at once to terrorize the countryside and make CAGW real to these slackers who don’t think this personally affects them! /sarc
——————
Eh ?
Hows this …. grrrrrrr come on you slackers oink oink or else the Arctic sea ice will melt and everything. You are really really naughty you bad people you.
Scared yet ?
/sarc
Jon says:
February 26, 2013 at 3:44 pm
First rule of government: try to make people care about the things you can actually fix.
Second rule of government: if you can’t fix anything, pretend you can and make people care about that.
Third rule of government: don’t light any fuses that are shorter than your remaining term in office.
**********************************************************************************
I am so stealing that. Thankyou.
SteveT
Ted Swart:
Dang, you beat me to it.
The report states “Climate change was listed as the top environmental concern in Japan, West Germany, Canada, Britain and Scandinavia, where between 19 and 26 percent of the population indicated it was their top environmental issue.”
Whoever this survey went to (the questionnaire was probably completed by a lot of hoodwinked school pupils, left wing greenies, politicians, solar panel salesman, BBC employees, the Guardian’s editorial team, renewable energy company directors and Geoffrey Lean), the multiple-choice questionnaire should have included:
Q: “In your opinion, what is the primary reason for our planet to warm up to unprecedented levels?
Is it . . . .
A: The vast amount of man-made CO2 in the air – especially now that it’s increased by a whole 8% in the last 17 years – and that’s A LOT! and it’s all YOUR fault!
B: Look, it’s only warmed by half a degree since 1997 despite predictions of armageddon – so it’s probably just the weather or the sun or something like that.
C: Don’t be daft, it’s bloody freezing cold.
D: Er, China or India or Michael Mann I think.
If they answered option A, then someone needs to help them (yet again) by explaining in very simple layman’s terms that there is hardly any CO2 in the atmosphere and, therefore, CO2 cannot be the only factor which affects climate. This was brilliantly explained on Anthony’s WUWT by one of our regular commenters a few years back. It went something like this . . . .
“If the Earth’s atmosphere were represented by a large swimming pool filled with 3,200 gallons of water:
2,498 gallons would be Nitrogen (78.084% of atmosphere by volume),
670 gallons would be Oxygen (20.9476% of atmosphere by volume),
30 gallons would be Argon (0.934% of atmosphere by volume),
1 gallon would be a mixture of Methane (0.002%), Neon (0.001818%), Helium (0.000524%), Krypton (0.000114%), Hydrogen (0.00005%) and Xenon (0.0000087%)
and
1 gallon would be Carbon Dioxide (0.0314% of atmosphere by volume).
Of the SINGLE GALLON of Carbon Dioxide, SEVEN and THREE QUARTER PINTS are naturally occuring. This leaves a QUARTER OF A PINT (5 fluid ounces) which is man-made. If this amount was a small 5 fl.oz. bottle of Red Food Colouring and we poured it in to the other 3,200 gallons of water in the pool, how much will it affect the colour of the water? We’ll even give you a big whisk so that you can mix it up as much as you like. Go on, have a go.
Unfortunately, some people visualise that all the water in our swimming pool has now turned an intense shade of bright red – so a reason for taxing people (including CO2 emmisions based vehicle excise duty in the UK and new ‘carbon taxes’ being introduced throughout the world).
Meanwhile, the rest of us all huddle patiently around the edge of our swimming pool looking puzzled as we stare through the transparent depths of beautifully clear water to the bottom – and wondering why the world’s political figures continue to spend billions trying to prevent the screw cap coming off the top of a small 5 fl.oz bottle of red food colouring.
Thanks to the original person that came up with this excellent analogy and I hope this has been of help to some of the people who visit Anthony’s site simply looking for inspiration.
Footnote: If CO2 has increased by 8% since 1997, then it’s gone up to from 0.0314% of atmosphere by volume to 0.033912%, a difference of 0.002512%. Think of this in monetery terms instead of the swimming pool analogy. There’s £3,200 in the bank, £1 is CO2 and it’s gone up by 8p in the last 16 years.
If a political movement attempts to crowd-source itself using a physical metric (temperature) that people actually experience everyday, then they shouldn’t be surprised that people don’t care when disaster keeps on not arriving as predicted.
Hence the switch to “weird weather”, and the hope that people are not old enough to remember the last time it happened.
Robber says:
February 26, 2013 at 7:16 pm
But did anyone survey those poor polar bears? 🙂
###
Yes but they haven’t reported back yet.
Environmentalism is primarily a wealthy person’s concern. The greens have more green to spread around to the politicians and bureaucrats. As the squeaky wheel gets the grease, it’s no wonder the government is focused on climate change instead of employment or the economy.
Thanks, Anthony, this is a related media article about “green fatigue” with interesting graphics….http://www.science20.com/science_20/climate_change_runs_against_green_fatigue-105131
(Mod, could you please fix the title? From the University of Chiago = Chicago of course!)