31 January
Hong Kong
Unprecedented warm winters, prolonged summers, rainstorms at an unexpected time of the year… climate change is drawing global attention like never before, with nine in 10 of the world’s online population aware of the issue, and over half (57%) considering it “a very serious problem”, according to the latest global online survey conducted by ACNielsen, the world’s leading market research and information provider.
The ACNielsen Online Consumer Opinion Survey, the largest half-yearly survey of its kind, was conducted in late October/early November, surveying 25,408 internet users in 46 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, the Baltics and Middle East.
“It has taken extreme and life threatening weather patterns to finally drive the message home that global warming is happening and unless a concerted, global effort is made to reverse it,” said Mr Farquhar Stirling, Managing Director, ACNielsen ASEAN. “The 2004 Kyoto Protocol made some tentative steps towards controlling the “greenhouse gasses” that are thought to contribute to global warming but what’s worrying is that while there is a high level of awareness among consumers globally, the level of concern towards the issue remains low.”
Heard of global warming?
Across the world, Latin Americans are the most likely to have heard of global warming (96%) and North Americans are the least likely (84%), but awareness is high in all continents, with a global average of 91 percent.
Chart 1
Leading the world in awareness of global warming is the Czech Republic, where 99 percent of on-line users said that they had heard or read something about the issue. Closely following, on 98%, were China, Portugal, Russia and Thailand.
“These high awareness levels reflect the increasing media coverage of global warming particularly since the November 2006 Nairobi Climate Change Conference as well as the more personal feeling among consumers given the obvious change in climate in the past years,“ said Mr. Stirling.
In Asia Pacific, internet users in China (98%), Thailand (98%) and Korea (96%) are most likely to be aware of global warming, although high proportions of respondents in all Asia Pacific countries have heard of the issue.
The three lowest countries in terms of awareness were the UAE, where 16 percent of respondents said that they had not heard of global warming, followed by the US (13%) and Malaysia (11%).
Chart 2
Is global warming a serious issue?
Worldwide 57 percent of respondents feel that global warming is a very serious problem, with a further 34 percent who see it as “fairly serious”.
Chart 3
People in Latin America are aware of the phenomenon so much so that the region leads the world in seeing global warming as a very serious problem. While in North America, in line with the relatively low awareness, consumers are less likely than those in other areas to see global warming as a serious problem (43%). Indeed, small but significant minorities in the US do not feel that global warming is a problem at all.
“The findings for Latin America well reflect impacts of the Amazon deforestation and the El Nino phenomenon which has already increased flooding and a decline in fish stocks in the region,“ said Stirling “On the other hand, the North America figures reflect a more polarized situation with regard to attitudes towards the issue, due to the media debate in the US as to the causes, and even existence, of global warming,”
Leading the world in seeing global warming as a very serious problem are Brazil (81%), France (80%), Portugal (78%), and the Philippines (76%).
Asia Pacific on-line users are more divided as to the seriousness of the problem. Across the Asia Pacific region, 62 percent see global warming as a very serious problem, and it is only in Korea (48%) and New Zealand (45%) where less than half of respondents share this view.
The Philippines (76%) and Thailand (73%) are the Asia Pacific countries most likely to see global warming as very serious.
Despite high awareness among global consumers and the majority considering it a serious problem, global warming is not considered a major personal concern in short term. Globally, only seven percent of consumers, or six percent in Asia Pacific, considered global warming a major concern for them in the next six months, with the level of concern as low as two percent in some markets. “Increasingly, global warming is more than just an environmental issue, as businesses become increasingly exposed to risks and potential disruptions due to climate change,” Mr. Farquhar warns. “Judging by the low levels of concern among people surveyed, it remains something too far off for them.”
What’s causing global warming?
Across the world there is a strong consensus that human activities like vehicle emissions and the burning of fossil fuels contribute to global warming. Worldwide, 50 percent of respondents cite human activities alone as a contributing factor, and another 43 percent mention both human activities and natural climate changes together as factors.
Chart 4
“It is very clear that respondents link global warming with traffic and the burning of fossil fuels, “said Stirling. “A significant proportion also mentions natural climate change, but very few consumers see it as a natural phenomenon only. These findings will add weight to those who are pressing for meaningful cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.”
Again, Latin America leads the way in feeling that human activities alone are the cause of global warming (62%). And North America is less likely than other continents to see human activities alone as the main cause. Respondents in North America are the most likely of any worldwide to see global warming as at least partly a natural phenomenon (66%).
Across Asia Pacific, 58 percent of respondents feel global warming is caused solely by human activities. Another 38 percent feel that it is caused by both human and natural causes.
China (73%), Korea (63%) and Hong Kong (59%) are most likely to see global warming as caused by human activities, and it is significant that these are countries where environmental challenges have come to the fore in recent times!
“Hopefully those who believe global warming is a result of human actions are more likely to make changes to save the environment.”
46 Markets Covered
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czechs Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Thailand, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, US and Vietnam.
The Survey
The Nielsen Online Consumer Confidence and Opinion Survey is the largest half-yearly survey of its kind, aimed at gauging current confidence levels, spending habits/intentions and current major concerns of consumers across the globe. The Nielsen Consumer Confidence Index is developed based on consumer’s confidence in the job market, status of their personal finance and their readiness to spend. The latest survey, conducted in the last two weeks of April, polled about 25,408 internet users in 46 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, North America and the Middle East.
About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research). The privately held company has more than 42,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.
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