IRIS Global Public Confidence Study 2023 Part 2: Confidence in Climate Change

As a member of the IRIS Network – an international consortium of independent market research agencies – Sugata Research is proud to have contributed to a global market research study spanning 27 countries. This research endeavored to capture public sentiment on pressing contemporary issues including the economy, climate change, and healthcare systems.

The 2023 IRIS Global Public Confidence Study offers an extensive analysis of global public opinion across the following key areas:

1. Public assessments of the economy and personal finances
2. Levels of confidence and concern about climate change
3. Perspectives on the current state of healthcare systems

During the first part of this project, respondents were queried about their fears, concerns, and trust in government and economic structures. Surveying took place online over a span of three months, from February to April 2023, involving a nationally representative sample of 500 to 1,000 adults aged 18 and above from each of the 27 countries.

In this article we will look at the second part of this study, focusing on public sentiment surrounding climate change:

1. High levels of concern: Concerns about climate change are high across most countries with an overall average of eight out of ten saying they are ‘worried’ or ‘very worried’.
2. Skepticism about reaching net-zero by 2050: In 23 out of 27 countries, fewer than 30% think their country is on track to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. When asked about the whole world, these numbers were even lower.
3. A distant problem: In 26 out of 27 countries, people see climate change as a more serious problem for the planet than the country or local area where they live. This is also the case for Japan, where 55% think climate change is a serious problem for the planet, 47% think it is a problem for Japan, and only 27% think it is a problem for the area they live in. Only those in Turkey have high levels of concern about climate change locally, nationally and globally.
4. Low impact of sustainability on purchasing in Japan: Sustainable products or services have a low impact of only 10-15% on Japanese purchasing in 6 out of 8 categories. Only the categories of ‘safety’ and ‘chemical-free’ have higher impacts on purchase behavior.

For a more detailed look at the study’s initial findings, we invite you to visit the Climate Confidence Report 2023

To learn more about the specific findings from Japan, please visit our Sugata Research LinkedIn Page