Around Australia people are optimistic about the costs and benefits of taking climate action with a majority in every federal electorate believing there will be long term benefits to them and the country.
Around 7-in-10 people in Australia recognise that action on climate change will deliver long term economic benefits, a poll of more than 15,000 people conducted by YouGov in January for the Australian Conservation Foundation shows.
Six-in-ten Australians are not convinced Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s commitment to net zero by 2050 is enough with 41% of people believing net zero by 2050 is ‘too little, too late’.
A majority of people in rural Australia (57%) are not convinced the PM’s commitment to net zero by 2050 is enough action. This includes people in regional Queensland (54%).
Even electorates that are traditionally reliant on fossil fuel industries are positive about the jobs and economic benefits of switching from coal and gas to clean energy in their communities.
In the seat of Flynn (Gladstone, Queensland) a significant majority (61%) believe climate action will produce economic benefits. Only 26% think the economy will be harmed by climate action.
“The results of this poll overturn the myth that people across Australia are not willing to pay for climate solutions,” said ACF Chief Executive Officer Kelly O’Shanassy.
“People want climate action and many Australians want stronger climate targets for 2030.
“People across Australia want climate action because they know it’s good for their health and will create future opportunities for young people.
“Across the country, a majority think the top climate solution is to replace gas and coal-fired power stations with renewable energy and battery storage.
“A majority of Australians are not convinced the PM’s commitment to net zero by 2050 is enough action – and that includes people in regional and rural areas,” she said.
The poll was conducted on a nationally representative sample of more than 15,000 people across Australia aged 18+ and used multilevel regression with poststratification (MRP) analysis to determine electorate-level results.
The MRP tool combines census data such as population density, education and household income with polling data to allow survey results to be broken down by electorates as well as demographics in a statistically reliable way.
Together We Can is a movement of people, groups and businesses from all over the country who are raising their voices for stronger action on climate change.
Australia’s biggest climate poll 2022
Audio grabs of Kelly O’Shanassy commenting on the poll
