87 percent of Austrians expect little from the climate conference

According to a study by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the majority of Austrians do not believe that climate change can be brought under control, but more than a third think that we can still live well with a temperature rise of over three degrees.

A majority of 87% of Austrians do not believe that the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai will produce results. Interest in the conference is correspondingly low: almost three quarters of respondents are hardly interested in it. And 39% are even of the opinion that humanity can still live well even if average global temperatures rise by more than 3 degrees. These are the findings of a recent special survey conducted as part of the new Science Barometer of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW).

The issue of climate change has reached the Austrian population and only a minority doubts that it is man-made. But 40 percent of the population still think that there are more pressing problems for Austria. Only one in five clearly put climate change first. Overall, climate change came fourth out of six issues surveyed, behind the health and care system and the fight against poverty. Only migration and education ranked lower.

63% of respondents think that more action should be taken to protect the climate and more than half (58%) also believe that the world is heading for a climate catastrophe. At the same time, almost half of the population (47%) believe that the media is creating an exaggerated mood in this regard, to the point of hysteria.

Low commitment, resigned attitude

The willingness to get involved in climate protection also varies. Repairing more, buying less new and using products for longer - three quarters of the population are very much in favor of this. In addition, more than two thirds of respondents would opt for regional products and more than half could imagine switching to more climate-friendly heating systems. 46 percent would even be prepared to do without air and long-distance travel. However, when it comes to measures such as a 100 km/h speed limit on freeways (39% would "not participate") or phasing out the combustion engine, the willingness to make a personal commitment to climate protection decreases significantly (49% against).

However, the vast majority of the population does not believe that the fight against climate change can still be successful. Only a small group of 11% have the impression that we are well on the way to getting climate change under control. In any case, 60 percent are skeptical as to whether this will still succeed. And a fifth believe this project is completely hopeless.

"We wanted to see the extent to which the results of climate research are accepted, so we included questions on this in the Science Barometer. What emerges is a pronounced ambivalence in the assessment of man-made climate change and the measures," says ÖAW President Heinz Faßmann, interpreting the results of the survey. "There is a view that measures to combat climate change are necessary, but the chances of success in these efforts are rated as low. This shows a certain resignation. We should therefore do more to motivate rather than alarm in our communication on climate change and we should continue to provide fact-based information and point out possible courses of action. Otherwise, suppression or even denial of climate change are the problematic consequences."

The role of science: informing, but not protesting

The public can certainly imagine a higher level of engagement by scientists on the topic of climate change. Researchers should therefore contribute their expertise to public lectures, articles in specialist journals, commentaries on political decisions and the initiation of referendums and petitions.

Overall, respondents also want politicians to listen more to science. 66 percent want political decisions to be based on scientific findings. However, a clear majority of respondents clearly reject activism by scientists when it comes to climate protection.

Method

Gallup International surveyed 1,500 people in Austria aged 16 and over. A mixed-mode survey (1,000 online and 500 telephone interviews) was conducted between September 18 and October 29, 2023. The weighted sample was representative of the Austrian resident population in terms of age, gender, education, number of inhabitants in the municipality, employment status and level of formal education.