Lethal Heating: Q&A: How Well-Informed Is the Australian Public About Climate Change Science?

Key Points
~80–84% of Australians believe climate change is happening ~66–72% attribute it to human activity Trust in science remains high at ~90% Only ~25–30% are “very concerned” Firsthand climate events increase awareness Disengagement and uncertainty persist among some groups

Australians overwhelmingly believe in climate change.

However, not all are fully informed or engaged with the science behind it.

Awareness and Belief

Surveys show that around 80–84 % of Australians acknowledge that climate change is happening, and 70–75 % express concern about its impacts¹.

About 66–72 % believe climate change is mainly caused by human activities. However, roughly 20 % see it as a natural phenomenon, about 5 % deny it entirely, and about 11 % remain uncertain².

One global poll even found only ~60 % of Australians believe in human-caused climate disruption, below the global average of 73 %³.

Knowledge vs. Perceived Urgency

While many accept the climate threat, only a minority consider it an “extremely serious” issue right now. Around 71–83 % say they are fairly or very concerned, but fewer translate that into felt urgency⁴.

Ipsos 2025 found 56 % believe urgent action is necessary to avoid failing future generations, a figure slightly below the global average and down from previous years⁵.

Gaps and Variation in Understanding

Knowledge of climate science terms and mechanisms does correlate with acceptance, but is unevenly distributed across demographic and political groups⁶.

Survey segmentations reveal a spectrum:

Alarmed (about 25 %): highly concerned and scientifically literate
Dismissive (about 7 %): actively sceptical
The remainder (66 %) fall into Concerned, Cautious, Doubtful, or Disengaged, showing varying belief levels and openness to persuasion ⁷.

Trust and Information Sources

Australians have high trust in scientists, CSIRO, and the Bureau of Meteorology, and around 90 % trust in science overall⁸.

People relying on commercial TV/radio were more likely to think climate change is natural, compared to those getting news from ABC or SBS⁹.

Firsthand Experience & Behaviour

Individuals who have directly experienced extreme weather (e.g. floods, bushfires) report greater understanding, concern, and willingness to act, including adopting pro-environmental behaviours¹⁰.

Private actions like switching to green products or solar uptake are increasing: about 45 % already switched, 29 % planning, and just 11 % resistant¹¹.

Overall Assessment

Overall, Australians are broadly informed about the reality of climate change, its causes, and impacts.

However, misunderstanding remains for a significant minority, especially regarding attribution, urgency, and personal responsibility.

Trust in science is solid, but many people remain uncertain or disengaged, especially those without lived experiences or exposure to high-quality information.

Effective communication with trusted messengers, clearer plain-English evidence, and visible action, still holds the key to shifting more Australians toward informed climate engagement.

At-a-Glance Summary

Key Metric	Value
Believe climate change is happening	~80–84%
Believe it's human-caused	~66–72%
“Very concerned” about climate	~25–30%
“Fairly/ Very concerned”	~71–83%
Openly dismissive/sceptical	~7–10%
Trust in science and scientists	~90%
Support urgent action	~56%

Footnotes

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04/08/2025

Q&A: How Well-Informed Is the Australian Public About Climate Change Science? - Lethal Heating Editor BDA