Global support and cooperation are necessary for successful climate action. Large-scale representative survey results show that most of the population around the world is willing to support climate action, while a perception gap exists regarding other citizens’ intention to act.
Our findings reveal widespread support for climate action. Notably, 69% of the global population expresses a willingness to contribute 1% of their personal income, 86% endorse pro-climate social norms and 89% demand intensified political action. Countries facing heightened vulnerability to climate change show a particularly high willingness to contribute. Despite these encouraging statistics, we document that the world is in a state of pluralistic ignorance, wherein individuals around the globe systematically underestimate the willingness of their fellow citizens to act.
This suggests that actions which provide social proof that large numbers of people are interested in action (eg: a mass march) are likely to spur further action.
69% of the global population expresses a willingness to contribute 1% of their personal income
Giving money is easing. Not eating meat and not flying to vacations and not using a car and not importing Avocados and not buying a new phone every year aren’t.
People are willing to endorse climate action as long as it doesn’t affect them.
It's very different doing those things willingly when all options are still there around you and a lot of other people are doing it anyway. And being in support of policies to reduce for example meat eating for everyone.
Only 30-40% of people think they should contribute 1% or less of their income to fix the problem. But 70-80% think we and the government should do more about it.
No seriously, in the US you pay half to a third of what you would have paid between the thirties and the nineties depending on income bracket. If your rich you pay two thirds of what you did in the seventies. If your a major corporation you pay just two fifths of what you did in the sixties.
I get taxes feel expensive, but even just compared to the historical rate in the US you pay a fraction of what was normal for a few generations ago. Compared to other western nations in Europe or for instance Canada, the difference is even more stark.