climate, climate change, emissions, Greenhouse gases, net-zero emissions, Pollution
Q. To what extent would you support or oppose setting a zero-carbon pollution target for 2050 if it were adopted by the Federal Government?
| Federal Voting Intention (Lower House) | Jan’20 | |||||
| Total | Labor | Coalition | Greens | NET: Other | ||
| Strongly support | 31% | 38% | 22% | 59% | 19% | 32% |
| Somewhat support | 44% | 42% | 46% | 33% | 44% | 39% |
| Somewhat oppose | 15% | 13% | 17% | 6% | 17% | 18% |
| Strongly oppose | 11% | 7% | 15% | 2% | 20% | 12% |
| NET: Support | 75% | 80% | 68% | 91% | 63% | 71% |
| NET: Oppose | 25% | 20% | 32% | 9% | 37% | 29% |
| Base (n) | 1,090 | 336 | 390 | 104 | 146 | 1,080 |
Q. Do you believe that there is fairly conclusive evidence that climate change is happening and caused by human activity or do you believe that the evidence is still not in and we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate which happens from time to time?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
Nov 09 |
Dec 10 |
Jun 11 |
Oct 12 |
Oct 13 |
Sep 14 |
|
| Climate change is happening and is caused by human activity |
57% |
70% |
42% |
87% |
49% |
53% |
45% |
50% |
48% |
52% |
56% |
||
| We are just witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate |
29% |
21% |
44% |
3% |
38% |
34% |
36% |
39% |
39% |
36% |
30% |
||
| Don’t know |
14% |
9% |
14% |
9% |
13% |
13% |
19% |
12% |
13% |
12% |
14% |
57% (up 1% since June) agree that climate change is happening and is caused by human activity and 29% (down 1%) believe that we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate. This is the highest level of belief in climate change recorded in Essential polls – and the lowest level of disbelief.
By age groups, those aged under 35 split 67%/20% and those aged 55+ split 41%/48%. People with higher education were more likely to think climate change is happening and is caused by human activity – those with university degrees split 68%/22%.
Q. Over the last 2 years, have you become more concerned or less concerned about the environmental effects of global warming or do you feel about the same as you did 2 years ago?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
Sep 14 |
|
| Total more concerned |
51% |
62% |
38% |
78% |
47% |
52% |
||
| Total less concerned |
9% |
5% |
16% |
3% |
9% |
9% |
||
| Much more concerned |
21% |
31% |
11% |
40% |
16% |
22% |
||
| A little more concerned |
30% |
31% |
27% |
38% |
31% |
30% |
||
| About the same |
35% |
29% |
43% |
17% |
43% |
35% |
||
| A little less concerned |
6% |
4% |
10% |
3% |
6% |
6% |
||
| Much less concerned |
3% |
1% |
6% |
– |
3% |
3% |
||
| Don’t know |
5% |
3% |
3% |
3% |
2% |
4% |
51% say they have become more concerned about the environmental effects of global warming over the last two years and 9% have become less concerned – 35% feel about the same.
These results are very similar to those when this question was asked in September.
Those most likely to have become more concerned were Labor voters (62%), Greens voters (78%) and people with university degrees (62%).
Q. As far as you know, do you think the following countries are doing enough, not enough or too much to address climate change?
|
Doing enough |
Not doing enough |
Doing too much |
Don’t know |
|
| Australia |
26% |
51% |
6% |
16% |
| USA |
17% |
53% |
5% |
25% |
| China |
9% |
63% |
3% |
25% |
51% of respondents think Australia is not doing enough to address climate change – while 53% think the USA is not doing enough and 63% think China is not doing enough. Only 26% think that Australia is doing enough.
Those most likely to think Australia is not doing enough were aged 18-34 (57%), Greens voters (91%), Labor voters (65%) and people with university education (59%).
carbon pollution, carbon pricing scheme, Carbon Tax, climate, climate change, Coalition, Coalition voters, EMC, ER, Essential Media, Essential Report, government, IPCC, Labor, Labor voters, peter lewis, Resources Rent Tax, The Drum
First published on The Drum: 08/03/2011
The media works in eight-hour news cycles, politicians live and die by three-year cycles, while the planet’s climate is working on a significantly longer time frame.
The way these three cycles interplay over the next few months will determine not only the outcome of the next federal election but whether Australia will be a beneficiary or a victim of the shift in energy use that climate change will inevitably require*.
As this week’s Essential Report shows the Government has taken a short-term hammering after it’s decision to move on a carbon price. Not only has the Government failed to win popular support for its carbon pricing scheme, this has translated into a 4 per cent turnaround in the Two Party Preferred.
Of particular concern to Labor would be the high level of strong opposition, compared to strong support for the plan and the fact that barely half of Labor voters are backing the scheme.