The publics' concern for global warming

A cross-national study of 47 countries

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3917072
AutoresBerit Kvaløy (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, autor de correspondencia), H Finseraas (0000-0001-5102-4895, Norwegian Social Research), Ola Listhaug (Norwegian University of Science and Technology & Centre for the Study of Civil War, PRIO)
Año2012
Volumen49
Número1
Páginas11-22
Fecha de publicación2012-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Peace Research (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0022-3433 • E-ISSN: 1460-3578
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0022343311425841
OpenAlexW1978101153
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas127
Referencias citadas30

This article relies on data from the 2005-09 World Values Survey to examine individual and cross-national variation in perception of the seriousness of global warming. The data show that a large majority of the public in all countries are concerned about the problem of global warming and that this assessment is part of a broader concern for global environmental issues. The widespread concern implies that global warming has the potential to generate mass political participation and demand for political action. Motivated by a value-based approach to the study of public opinion, the article shows that perception of the seriousness of the problem is positively correlated with high education, post-materialism, and a leftist position on the left-right scale. In addition, religious beliefs are important, suggesting that there is some diversity in the value basis for the issue and that it is not only linked to the 'new-politics' perspective. Variation across nations in wealth and CO2 emissions is not significantly related to the publics' assessments of the problem, and, somewhat counterintuitively, people from countries relatively more exposed to climate-related natural disasters are less concerned about global warming. We suggest possible explanations for the latter finding and discuss our results in relation to the broader literature on environmental change, insecurity, and the potential for conflict

Climate change · Development economics · Economics · Global warming · Perception · Political science · Politics · Public opinion · Seriousness · Value (mathematics) · Climate Change and Geoengineering · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Ecology · Psychology · Risk Perception and Management · Social Psychology