Climate Policy and Public Opinion: What Citizens of the Global South Really Think

A major survey published in Nature Climate Change on August 22, 2025, reveals a revealing paradox: while most citizens in seven Global South countries recognize the importance of climate change, their policy preferences shift significantly when climate measures are weighed against other pressing needs. The study offers a deep look into public understanding, trusted sources of information, and the trade-offs people are willing to make.

What do people in the Global South really think about climate change and the policies meant to address it? This is the central question explored in a comprehensive survey led by Richard T. Carson and colleagues, covering Chile, Colombia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Vietnam (Nature Climate Change, 2025).

Based on responses from 8,400 participants (1,200 per country), this online survey stands out as one of the most extensive in its category. The findings reveal a public that is both aware of climate urgency and pragmatic when it comes to political priorities.

“Climate change is the most important long-term problem the world is facing” — this statement received strong support across all surveyed countries. However, this general agreement doesn’t always translate into strong support for concrete climate policies, especially when pitted against competing issues.

Knowledge and Trust: Scientists Lead the Way

One of the study’s clearest findings is the strong link between climate knowledge and trust in information sources. In nearly all countries, scientists emerged as the most trusted source — with Vietnam as the exception, though scientists still ranked in the top three.

“Trust in scientists correlates with increased climate knowledge […] roughly twice the effect size associated with a college degree.”

Other trusted sources included national governments and NGOs, while social media, family, friends, and religious leaders were generally seen as unreliable. This trust (or lack thereof) directly impacted how much people understood about climate science.

Climate vs. Other Priorities

When asked to rate the importance of climate change on a scale from 1 to 5, average scores across countries hovered around 4.6, indicating broad concern. But when respondents were later asked to rank climate policies alongside 12 other government programs, priorities shifted.

Only Vietnam placed climate in its top three concerns. In Nigeria and South Africa, climate action ranked in the bottom third.

“Only in Vietnam is climate one of the top three priorities. In two countries, Nigeria and South Africa, climate is ranked in the bottom third of policy areas.”

Health — particularly respiratory illnesses linked to pollution — topped public health concerns across all countries, revealing a critical entry point for climate co-benefits.

Carbon Tax Revenues: Spend on People, Not Deficits

How carbon tax revenue should be used is a divisive issue in climate policy. The survey tested six common proposals. The top three preferences were clear and consistent:

1. Health and education programs,

2. Subsidies for solar energy,

3. R&D funding for clean technologies.

Least favored were using revenues to reduce the government deficit or rebate them equally to all citizens, both widely unpopular across all seven countries.

“The top three alternatives in all countries are earmarks for health and education, subsidizing solar and green R&D. [...] Revenue refunding and deficit reduction [...] lowest-ranked alternatives.”

A Caution for Policymakers

The researchers warn against overrelying on simplistic survey questions, often used in global omnibus polls. While people say they care about the climate, this concern doesn’t always carry through when hard choices are introduced.

“These results highlight the risk of policymakers relying on the type of simple questions typically included in omnibus surveys to assess support for climate policies.”

The study emphasizes that awareness of climate issues is not lacking. But to turn that awareness into meaningful public support, climate policies must resonate with people's immediate priorities — especially in health and social development.

By recognizing these local contexts and co-benefits, policymakers may find more effective and equitable paths toward global climate goals.