Resource Type: Polling & Surveys

This post includes a roundup of climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from this week’s public polls – including a major new report on Americans’ shifting climate change attitudes from the Yale and GMU programs on climate change communication, plus fresh polling about the Build Back Better plan and how voters view climate-friendly policies in the context of rising living costs and gas prices.

Youth in Australia who are most worried about climate change are also most engaged with news and politics. Those most worried about climate also experience the most depression. This resource studied Australian youth from ages 10 to 19. Consistently, the youth who experience most worry about climate also follow the news most and also report more depressive symptoms. However, those who developed more climate worry as they aged did not experience more depressive symptoms than those who were moderately worried about climate, on average. Further, higher levels of these Australian youth experienced some level of worry (moderate, 25%, or increasing, 24%) than those experiencing low (17%) or decreasing (13%) levels of worry. 13% experienced persistently high levels of worry.

People who trust corporations less are more likely to participate in climate marches. This research from Germany surveyed 600 people, made up largely of younger people. It found that people who trust corporations less, trust their friends more, engage in more pro-environmental behaviors, and are more concerned about climate participate in climate marches more often; women also participate more than men. About 25% of people said they participate at least “sometimes.” About 6% said they participate in climate marches “often.”