A Pew survey conducted from January 8 to April 21, 2025, indicates that at least three out of four Indians believe climate change is negatively impacting their local areas.
The survey encompassed nine middle-income countries, including Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, and Turkey.
Over 75% of Indians across all age groups (18-34, 35-49, 50+) expressed willingness to make lifestyle changes to mitigate climate change.
Over 40% of Indians are most concerned about droughts in 2025, while concerns about unusually long periods of hot weather have risen to 26%.
Detailed Insights:
India stands out as a country where willingness to make lifestyle changes for climate change mitigation is uniformly high across all age groups, unlike other surveyed nations.
A significant 35% of Indians are willing to alter their lifestyles even if they perceive that climate change is not affecting their area, the second-highest percentage among surveyed countries.
Over 70% of Indians express confidence in the international community's ability to significantly reduce the effects of climate change through collective actions.
While drought remains a primary concern, there's a notable increase in concern regarding prolonged hot weather, reflecting changing perceptions of climate change impacts.
Key Concepts Involved:
Climate Change: Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, primarily caused by human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels.
Mitigation: Actions taken to reduce the sources of greenhouse gases or enhance the sinks that accumulate and store these gases.
Pew Research Center: A non-profit, non-partisan organization that conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, and content analysis.