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Some surveys show high and persistent concern about climate risks across many countries, even as priorities vary by place and moment.
At the same time pockets of fatigue and frustration have grown where people see talk without clear government action.
That combination—continued worry paired with impatience—drives much of how the public now responds to climate news.
Understanding whether people are “tuning out” requires looking at multiple recent, reputable polls and the contexts that shape attention.
This article compares major public opinion studies and explains what they say about concern, fatigue, and political trust.
The aim is to describe what the evidence supports, and where public feeling is less certain or changing rapidly.
What the big surveys actually say
Large international surveys show that climate remains a major public concern in many countries, with majorities calling it a serious threat in most places surveyed by Pew Research Center in 2025.[2]
The UNDP global survey found more than half of people report thinking about climate change daily or weekly, indicating ongoing salience rather than universal disengagement.[1]
Ipsos’s People and Climate Change 2025 report documents widespread concern about impacts, but also finds that economic pressures and geopolitical crises can push climate down citizens’ immediate priority lists.[3]
In countries such as Australia and the United States surveys show significant majorities still back stronger climate action, while a smaller but vocal minority expresses scepticism or fatigue.[6]
Is “talk and no action” driving people away?
Public impatience is real where promises from governments are repeatedly delayed or weakened, and those perceptions erode trust in political leadership on climate issues.[4]
Polling shows that citizens who rate government performance poorly on climate are more likely to express frustration and disengage from advocacy or news about the subject.[4]
That disengagement tends to be selective: many frustrated citizens still support specific local or tangible measures such as renewable energy or flood protection.
In short, anger at political delay often coexists with continued support for practical solutions rather than a blanket “tuning out.”
News cycles, crises and attention
Attention to climate fluctuates in response to the news agenda, with wars, inflation, or energy shocks sometimes crowding out coverage of long-term risks.
When immediate crises dominate, public concern measured in polls can fall or be reprioritised without implying people deny the science.[3]
Yet scientific developments and extreme-weather events often revive attention because they create direct, observable impacts for people and communities.
For example the scientific confirmation that global temperatures breached 1.5°C in 2024 created renewed public discussion about near-term risks and policy urgency.[5]
Who is most likely to tune out
Evidence suggests tuning out is most common among people who feel policy makers are not responsive and among those facing immediate economic hardship.
Political identity and media ecosystems also shape whether citizens see climate as a priority or as overhyped news.
Younger people often express strong concern but also higher levels of climate anxiety, which can paradoxically lead some to withdraw from constant coverage.
Conversely older cohorts may deprioritise climate when other issues like cost of living or health take precedence.
What this means for advocates and politicians
Simple messaging about doom encourages fatigue, while clear offers of concrete policy outcomes and local benefits are more likely to sustain engagement.
Polling evidence shows people respond to tangible measures such as clean energy jobs, disaster preparation, and household cost-reducing technologies more than abstract long-term targets.[3]
Transparency about trade-offs and incremental wins helps rebuild trust where disappointment in “talk” has set in.
Framing action around immediate benefits and protections, rather than only distant targets, reduces the sense that climate policy is endless rhetoric.
Bottom line
The public is not uniformly “sick” of the climate debate, but fatigue and frustration are rising where political delivery lags and competing crises dominate attention.
Robust, repeated surveys show continued concern and substantial public support for concrete climate measures, even as priorities shift between countries and over time.[2]
The challenge for democracies is to convert broad concern into visible local benefits to keep people engaged and to avoid polarising the debate into permanent cynicism.
That is a political and communications task, not a signal that the public has abandoned climate action as a goal.
References
- World’s largest survey on climate change shows what results reveal, UNDP, 27 June 2024
- Global views: climate change as a threat, Pew Research Center, 19 August 2025
- People and Climate Change 2025, Ipsos, April 2025
- Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes, Fall 2024, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
- 2024 was the first year above 1.5°C, scientists say, Reuters, 10 January 2025
- Majority of Australians believe urgent action is needed, Ipsos Australia, 16 April 2025