Generation of change? South African attitudes towards climate change in comparative perspective

The risks posed by climate change have become increasingly apparent. In response, the South African government has introduced various policy measures, reflecting a commitment to transitioning to a low-carbon economy. Successfully navigating this transition requires policy processes to take account of individual preferences, concerns, and lived realities. Yet a significant knowledge gap remains. Data from the South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS, 2017) are used to test aspects of the Stern’s value-belief-norm model. Climate beliefs, climate concern and personal responsibility are profiled. The strongest predictors of climate concern are a belief in the reality of climate change, expectations of negative impacts, and the salience afforded to climate change. In turn, climate concern, attribution scepticism, and impact scepticism are most likely to determine feelings of personal responsibility to reduce climate change. These findings have implications for climate change communication and interventions to minimise the human development consequences of climate change.