Carbon emissions
Q. Australia’s current target to reduce its carbon emissions is a 5% reduction on our 2000 level of emissions by 2020. The Climate Change Authority recently recommended that, because of commitments by other countries, Australia’s target should be 30% below our 2000 level of emissions by 2025. Should Australia:
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote other | ||
| Retain its current target of 5% | 18% | 10% | 34% | 3% | 16% | |
| Move to a higher target, such as 10% | 25% | 24% | 28% | 18% | 30% | |
| Move to the recommended target of 30% | 34% | 43% | 17% | 72% | 30% | |
| Not have any target | 7% | 6% | 10% | 2% | 9% | |
| Don’t know | 16% | 17% | 11% | 4% | 15% |
Only 18% think that Australia should retain its current target of 5% reduction in carbon emissions by 2020. 34% think that Australia should move to the recommended target of 30% and 25% think we should move to a higher target such as 10%.
43% of Labor voters and 72% of Greens voters think Australia should move to the 30% target. 34% of Liberal/National voters think Australia should keep the current 5% target while 45% think it should be higher.
Action on climate change
Q. In your opinion, do world leaders need to act to prevent the world’s population from being impacted by climate change?
|
Total |
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other/ Indep- endent |
|||
|
Yes, they need to act now, without delay |
45% |
56% |
27% |
79% |
42% |
||
|
Yes, they need to act in the next 12 months |
10% |
15% |
10% |
4% |
7% |
||
|
Yes, they need to act in the next 5 years |
10% |
9% |
13% |
4% |
11% |
||
|
Yes, they need to act in the next 10 years |
4% |
4% |
6% |
1% |
4% |
||
|
No, they don’t need to act |
15% |
6% |
28% |
5% |
23% |
||
|
Don’t know |
16% |
11% |
16% |
6% |
14% |
||
A majority (55%) think that world leaders need to act on climate change now or in the next 12 months. 14% think they need to act within the next 5- 10 years and 15% think they do not need to act at all.
While 71% of Labor voters think they need to act now or within the next 12 months, only 37% of Liberal/National voters agree.
Climate change
Q. Do you believe that there is fairly conclusive evidence that climate change is happening and caused by human activity or do you believe that the evidence is still not in and we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate which happens from time to time?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
Nov 09 |
Dec 10 |
Jun 11 |
Oct 12 |
Oct 13 |
Dec 14 |
|
| Climate change is happening and is caused by human activity |
54% |
67% |
37% |
84% |
38% |
53% |
45% |
50% |
48% |
52% |
57% |
||
| We are just witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate |
31% |
22% |
49% |
11% |
45% |
34% |
36% |
39% |
39% |
36% |
29% |
||
| Don’t know |
15% |
11% |
14% |
5% |
17% |
13% |
19% |
12% |
13% |
12% |
14% |
54% (down 3% since December) agree that climate change is happening and is caused by human activity and 31% (up 2%) believe that we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate. Although this is a fall in belief in climate change since December, it is still the second highest recorded over the last 6 years.
By age groups, those aged under 35 split 62%/20% and those aged 55+ split 39%/51%. People with higher education were more likely to think climate change is happening and is caused by human activity – those with university degrees split 62%/25%.
Climate change
Q. The Intergenerational Report did not address the impact of climate change. Do you think addressing climate change should or should not be a priority for governments when it comes to intergenerational issues?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote Other |
|
| Should be a priority |
46% |
61% |
27% |
87% |
40% |
|
| Should not be a priority |
33% |
22% |
53% |
4% |
38% |
|
| Don’t know |
22% |
18% |
20% |
9% |
22% |
46% think that climate change should be a priority for governments when it comes to intergenerational issues and 33% think it should not be a priority.
Those most likely to think it should be a priority were Labor voters (61%), Greens voters (87%), aged 18-34 (54%) and university educated (54%).
Those most likely to think it should not be a priority were Liberal/National voters (53%) and aged 55+ (46%).
Climate change
Q. Do you believe that there is fairly conclusive evidence that climate change is happening and caused by human activity or do you believe that the evidence is still not in and we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate which happens from time to time?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
Nov 09 |
Dec 10 |
Jun 11 |
Oct 12 |
Oct 13 |
Sep 14 |
|
| Climate change is happening and is caused by human activity |
57% |
70% |
42% |
87% |
49% |
53% |
45% |
50% |
48% |
52% |
56% |
||
| We are just witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate |
29% |
21% |
44% |
3% |
38% |
34% |
36% |
39% |
39% |
36% |
30% |
||
| Don’t know |
14% |
9% |
14% |
9% |
13% |
13% |
19% |
12% |
13% |
12% |
14% |
57% (up 1% since June) agree that climate change is happening and is caused by human activity and 29% (down 1%) believe that we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate. This is the highest level of belief in climate change recorded in Essential polls – and the lowest level of disbelief.
By age groups, those aged under 35 split 67%/20% and those aged 55+ split 41%/48%. People with higher education were more likely to think climate change is happening and is caused by human activity – those with university degrees split 68%/22%.
Concern about climate change
Q. Over the last 2 years, have you become more concerned or less concerned about the environmental effects of global warming or do you feel about the same as you did 2 years ago?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
Sep 14 |
|
| Total more concerned |
51% |
62% |
38% |
78% |
47% |
52% |
||
| Total less concerned |
9% |
5% |
16% |
3% |
9% |
9% |
||
| Much more concerned |
21% |
31% |
11% |
40% |
16% |
22% |
||
| A little more concerned |
30% |
31% |
27% |
38% |
31% |
30% |
||
| About the same |
35% |
29% |
43% |
17% |
43% |
35% |
||
| A little less concerned |
6% |
4% |
10% |
3% |
6% |
6% |
||
| Much less concerned |
3% |
1% |
6% |
– |
3% |
3% |
||
| Don’t know |
5% |
3% |
3% |
3% |
2% |
4% |
51% say they have become more concerned about the environmental effects of global warming over the last two years and 9% have become less concerned – 35% feel about the same.
These results are very similar to those when this question was asked in September.
Those most likely to have become more concerned were Labor voters (62%), Greens voters (78%) and people with university degrees (62%).
Countries doing enough on climate change
Q. As far as you know, do you think the following countries are doing enough, not enough or too much to address climate change?
|
Doing enough |
Not doing enough |
Doing too much |
Don’t know |
|
| Australia |
26% |
51% |
6% |
16% |
| USA |
17% |
53% |
5% |
25% |
| China |
9% |
63% |
3% |
25% |
51% of respondents think Australia is not doing enough to address climate change – while 53% think the USA is not doing enough and 63% think China is not doing enough. Only 26% think that Australia is doing enough.
Those most likely to think Australia is not doing enough were aged 18-34 (57%), Greens voters (91%), Labor voters (65%) and people with university education (59%).
Right or wrong approach to climate change
Q. Do you think Australia is taking the right or the wrong approach to handling the issue of climate change?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote Other |
|
| Taking the right approach |
28% |
13% |
56% |
4% |
25% |
|
| Taking the wrong approach |
42% |
64% |
14% |
91% |
36% |
|
| Don’t know |
30% |
23% |
30% |
6% |
39% |
28% think that Australia is taking the right approach to handling the issue of climate change and 42% think Australia is taking the wrong approach – 30% don’t know.
Those most likely to think Australia is taking the wrong approach were Labor voters (64%), Greens voters (91%), aged under 35 (48%) and university educated (46%).
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Read Essential's ongoing research on the public response to Covid-19.
Download this week's ReportEssential Report
Two Party Preferred:
In this week's report:
- Performance of Scott Morrison
- Performance of Anthony Albanese
- Preferred Prime Minister
- Top Federal Government priorities for 2021
- Uptake of a Covid-19 vaccine
- Perceptions of change in the standard of living for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Changing views towards Australia Day
- Support towards a separate national day
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