The largest global survey on climate change reveals an astonishing consensus – people want stronger action from their leaders.
Many reports explore generational views on climate change and sustainability, but the second edition of the People’s Climate Vote 2024, published by the UNDP and Oxford University, stands out for its quality and scope.
The report, aiming to understand how people experience daily climate impacts and their expectations from world leaders, is based on an extensive survey that includes marginalized groups from the poorest parts of the world. More than 73,000 people, speaking 87 different languages across 77 countries, were surveyed with 15 questions about climate change, representing 87% of the global population.
Climate change is often framed as a polarizing topic. However, the survey’s extensive coverage reveals a surprising level of consensus: a majority of people globally, and in 80% of the countries surveyed, are becoming more worried about climate change. Over half (53%) of people globally said they were more worried about climate change than they were last year.
There was a mounting concern about climate change in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), where six in ten (59%) people said they were more worried about climate change than they were last year. This is compared to half (50%) of people in the richest 20 ountries.
Extreme weather is becoming worse for most. Globally, nearly half (43%) of people said extreme weather events were worse than usual, compared with the previous year.
Big life decisions are impacted by climate change as extreme weather events continue to increase around the world. For over two-thirds of the world’s population (69%), these experiences have impacted people’s big decisions, such as where to live or work and what to buy. This figure was notably higher in LDCs (74%) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS; 80%) where climate impacts on big decisions tended to be greater.
Far from being a divisive issue among people, majorities across the globe want their countries to strengthen climate commitments, and are equally unconvinced by big businesses’ real climate efforts. Globally, four in five people (80%) called for their country to enhance its commitments to address climate change. Eight in ten (80%) of people globally called on schools in their country to teach more about climate change.
There is an interesting gender component: women across the globe are more likely than men to be increasingly worried about climate change and are more in favor of direct actions to combat climate deterioration by at least 15%. A majority of all age groups reported that they have become increasingly worried about climate change, including older generations.
You can see the country’s results here.
Or download the full report here.

Author
Mina Baginova
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