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Globally representative evidence on the actual and perceived support for climate action

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  • Peter Andre

    (SAFE and Goethe University Frankfurt)

  • Teodora Boneva

    (University of Bonn)

  • Felix Chopra

    (University of Copenhagen and CEBI)

  • Armin Falk

    (University of Bonn)

Abstract

Mitigating climate change necessitates global cooperation, yet global data on individuals’ willingness to act remain scarce. In this study, we conducted a representative survey across 125 countries, interviewing nearly 130,000 individuals. Our findings reveal widespread support for climate action. Notably, 69% of the global population expresses a willingness to contribute 1% of their personal income, 86% endorse pro-climate social norms and 89% demand intensified political action. Countries facing heightened vulnerability to climate change show a particularly high willingness to contribute. Despite these encouraging statistics, we document that the world is in a state of pluralistic ignorance, wherein individuals around the globe systematically underestimate the willingness of their fellow citizens to act. This perception gap, combined with individuals showing conditionally cooperative behaviour, poses challenges to further climate action. Therefore, raising awareness about the broad global support for climate action becomes critically important in promoting a unified response to climate change.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Andre & Teodora Boneva & Felix Chopra & Armin Falk, 2024. "Globally representative evidence on the actual and perceived support for climate action," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 14(3), pages 253-259, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:14:y:2024:i:3:d:10.1038_s41558-024-01925-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41558-024-01925-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Benjamin Enke, 2019. "Kinship, Cooperation, and the Evolution of Moral Systems," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 134(2), pages 953-1019.
    2. Nathan Nunn & Diego Puga, 2012. "Ruggedness: The Blessing of Bad Geography in Africa," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 94(1), pages 20-36, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Rob Bauer & Katrin Gödker & Paul Smeets & Florian Zimmermann, 2024. "Mental Models in Financial Markets: How Do Experts Reason About the Pricing of Climate Change?," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2024_569, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    2. Teodora Boneva & Ana Brás-Monteiro & Marta Golin & Christopher Rauh, 2024. "Are Men’s Preferences for Couple Equity Misperceived? Evidence from Six Countries," CESifo Working Paper Series 11536, CESifo.
    3. Tobias Angel & Alexandre Berthe & Valeria Costantini & Mariagrazia D’Angeli, 2024. "How the nature of inequality reduction matters for CO2 emissions," Working Papers 2024.14, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    4. Giorgos Galanis & Giorgio Ricchiuti & Ben Tippet, 2025. "Too calm in the storm? Revisiting the Relationship Between Vulnerability and Climate Action," Working Papers - Economics wp2025_04.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa.
    5. Rob Bauer & Katrin Gödker & Paul Smeets & Florian Zimmermann, 2024. "Mental Models in Financial Markets: How Do Experts Reason about the Pricing of Climate Risk?," CESifo Working Paper Series 11149, CESifo.
    6. Andre, Peter & Hackmann, Angelina, 2024. "Broad support for climate action in the EU," SAFE White Paper Series 104, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    7. Adrien Fabre, 2024. "Un Plan mondial pour le climat et contre l'extrême pauvreté," Post-Print hal-04866011, HAL.
    8. Landon Yoder & Alora Cain & Ananya Rao & Nathaniel Geiger & Ben Kravitz & Mack Mercer & Deidra Miniard & Sangeet Nepal & Thomas Nunn & Mary Sluder & Grace Weiler & Shahzeen Z. Attari, 2024. "Muddling through Climate Change: A Qualitative Exploration of India and U.S. Climate Experts’ Perspectives on Solutions, Pathways, and Barriers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-20, June.
    9. Andrej Woerner & Taisuke Imai & Davide D. Pace & Klaus M. Schmidt, 2024. "How to increase public support for carbon pricing with revenue recycling," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 7(12), pages 1633-1641, December.
    10. Levi, Eugenio & Bayerlein, Michael & Grimalda, Gianluca & Reggiani, Tommaso G., 2025. "Narratives of Migration and Political Polarization: Private Preferences, Public Preferences and Social Media," IZA Discussion Papers 17749, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Gabriel Târziu, 2024. "What does it mean, what does it take, and why is it important to understand climate change?," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-5, December.
    12. Alice Pizzo & Christina Gravert & Jan M. Bauer & Lucia Reisch, 2025. "Carbon Taxes Crowd Out Climate Concern: Experimental Evidence from Sustainable Consumer Choices," CESifo Working Paper Series 11719, CESifo.
    13. Silvius Stanciu, 2024. "Assessing the Resilience and Adaptability of Romanian Agriculture to Climate Change," Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development Studies, "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati, Doctoral Field Engineering and Management in Agriculture and Rural Development, issue 1, pages 34-45.
    14. Heinz Welsch, 2024. "Are National Climate Change Mitigation Pledges Shaped by Citizens' Climate Action Preferences? Evidence from Globally Representative Data," Working Papers V-445-24, University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics, revised Jul 2024.
    15. Salekpay, Foroogh & van den Bergh, Jeroen & Savin, Ivan, 2024. "Comparing advice on climate policy between academic experts and ChatGPT," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    16. Jeworrek, Sabrina & Tonzer, Lena, 2024. "Inflation concerns and green product consumption: Evidence from a nationwide survey and a framed field experiment," IWH Discussion Papers 10/2024, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    17. Zwetelina Iliewa & Elisabeth Kempf & Oliver Spalt, 2025. "Corporate Actions as Moral Issues," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2025_649, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    18. Suri, Dominik & Bongers, Niklas & Kube, Sebastian, 2025. "Is pro-environmental effort affected by information about others’ behavior?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).

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