Survey reveals Indians are taking global warming threat seriously and are in favour of taking steps to tackle the issue

According to an exclusive study carried out by CVoter for Yale University’s Program on Climate Change Communication, Indians are aware that global warming is a severe issue and that it is already happening. In fact, the survey finds that 84% of Indians think that global warming is a real problem and that it affects them personally.

Unanimously, the vast majority of Indians agree that global warming is clearly endangering future generations and damaging their lives and way of life. Unexpectedly, a sizable majority of Indians believe that citizens and the government alike must take decisive action to reduce carbon emissions.

A sizable majority of Indians also believe that steps made to address global warming will have a favourable effect on future job chances and economic growth.

This historic poll was carried out jointly by CVoter and a group of international specialists, including a team from Yale University. Using random selection techniques, 4,619 adult Indians over the age of 18 were reached on their mobile phones during the study’s October 2021–January 2022 period. The team at Yale published the survey’s findings and related analyses on October 18.

Just over half (55%) of the respondents say they know little or nothing about global warming. About 35% of the respondents say they see or read about global warming on media platforms about once a week. But when a simple definition was provided describing climate change and how it affects weather patterns, 84% of the respondents immediately said that climate change is happening. This was 15% higher than in late 2011 when a similar survey was conducted in India.