Public Opinion Brief 54-1: Global Public Opinion Demands More Active Government Response to Climate Change

Public Opinion Brief 54: National Responses to Climate Change Are Insufficient; Higher Priority Must Be Given

1. Global Public Opinion Demands More Active Government Response to Climate Change

2. Climate Change Issue: The Lake Wobegon Effect Should Be Guarded Against

Global citizens are urging governments to show more active interest and response to climate change. Sixty percent of global citizens assert that national governments should assign a higher priority to climate change policies than they currently do. This result reflects the global public's concern over climate change. In South Korea, 81% of respondents, the highest among the surveyed countries, answered that the government should give higher policy priority to climate change. This survey was conducted by the University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) in collaboration with the East Asia Institute (EAI) of Korea and others, polling citizens in 19 countries from April to July. The total number of respondents was 18,578, with a margin of error of ±3-4% at a 95% confidence level.

Domestic Public Perception of National Government Responses Varies

Citizens in Developed and Emerging Developing Countries Positively Evaluate Their Governments' Climate Change Policies

South Korea and the United States Show Low Evaluations of Their Governments' Climate Change Policies

Citizens of developed Western countries such as Germany, the UK, and France, as well as those of emerging economic powers like China and India, believe their governments assign high policy priority to climate change issues and are actively responding.

Regarding the question, 'How much policy priority does your government assign to climate change?' the average score (out of 10 points, where 0 means no priority should be given and 10 means the highest priority should be given) shows high evaluations from citizens of OECD member countries, including Germany (7.02 points), the UK (5.92 points), Poland (5.89 points), Mexico (5.51 points), and France (5.42 points). Citizens of China (7.31 points), Indonesia (5.85 points), and India (5.41 points) also provided relatively positive evaluations of their respective governments.

Conversely, negative evaluations were prevalent among citizens in Middle Eastern conflict regions and developing countries. Iraq (3.65 points), Palestine (4.18 points), and Kenya (4.29 points) generally assessed their governments' climate change policy priorities as low.

The United States, South Korea, and Turkey were among OECD countries where a significant number of citizens criticized their governments for not paying sufficient policy attention to climate change. US citizens responded that their government assigns a policy priority of approximately 3.84 points out of 10 to climate change, and Turkish citizens evaluated it at 4.69 points, falling below the midpoint of 5. Despite the Lee Myung-bak administration's strong emphasis on green growth, South Korean citizens also rated the policy priority assigned to climate change by the government at a low 4.61 points out of 10.

[Figure 1] Evaluation of Policy Priority Assigned by National Governments to Climate Change (Out of 10 Points)

60% of the World's Population Believes Governments Should Prioritize Climate Change Policies More

South Korea shows the highest call for climate change policy among 19 countries at 81%,

Emphasis on climate change threats alongside the significance of green growth and new industrial policies is needed.

While evaluations of national governments' climate change policies vary, with the exception of some developing and Middle Eastern countries, there is a common voice calling for governments to show more active interest and response to climate change policies going forward. People worldwide are urging governments to show greater interest and take more proactive measures regarding climate change. Survey results indicate that 60% of the global population believes national governments should assign higher priority to climate change policies than they currently do.

Among OECD developed countries, 79% in Mexico, 77% in the UK, and 76% in France urged more proactive responses to climate change. The United States, at 52%, was somewhat lower but still a majority. Opinions were divided among emerging economic powers. In China and Indonesia, 62% and 53% respectively called for their governments to consistently focus policy on climate change issues, while only 43% in India agreed, indicating a difference in sentiment.

In South Korea, 81% of respondents stated that the government should increase policy priority for climate change response, the highest rate among the 19 countries surveyed. It is true that the Lee Myung-bak administration has established green growth, which encompasses climate change issues, as a national agenda since taking office and has strived to promote green agendas internationally. However, the public perceives that the Lee Myung-bak administration has not adequately prioritized climate change policies and is calling for more proactive interest and policy responses going forward. This can be interpreted as a result of the emphasis placed on green growth as a source of future economic growth rather than as a direct response to climate change itself in the eyes of the public. In other words, while the public acknowledges the importance of growth through the development of climate change-related industries, they are urging government action to address the threat of climate change itself.

[Figure 2] Current and Future Government Policy Priority for Climate Change Response Rate (Unit: %)

* The difference between the expected score (0-10 points) that respondents believe the government should assign as policy priority and the evaluated score (0-10 points) of the current policy priority assigned by the government to climate change determines the respondent's stance. A positive difference indicates a position that 'higher priority should be given,' zero indicates that 'appropriate priority is being given,' and a negative difference indicates a position that 'priority should be lowered from the current level.' This figure shows the response rate for each stance.