Canadians want action on climate change but majority are socially disengaged

In Canada, a recent report found nearly 90 per cent of Canadians surveyed responded "yes" when asked if climate change is occurring, and almost 80 per cent said climate change was "somewhat" to "extremely" personally important to them.

"There's a really strong consensus that climate change is happening," Carman said. "That question has basically been settled globally." If taken, these changes to Canada's energy habits could be conducive to reducing climate change. As the report indicates, this is something Canadians think would be good for the economy.

These statistics align with the 70 per cent of respondents who said climate change should be a high government priority in Canada. In Canada, Thomas said, it's likely a reflection of what Canadians are exposed to in terms of messaging around who's responsible for climate change. Individual consumer actions can only go so far, he said, until the government needs to be pushed towards action on a larger scale.

"I think that Canadians need to see themselves in the solutions and need to see clear benefits in taking this sort of action," he said. Additionally, Carman said the low percentages of action-takers in large countries such as Canada and the U.S. need to be put into perspective alongside the smaller countries surveyed.

Approximately 60 per cent of Canadians surveyed said they think climate change will harm future generations a "great deal." Meanwhile, only around 20 per cent of respondents said they believe climate change will cause a "great deal" of personal harm to them. Carman gave the example of the image of a polar bear sitting atop a melting glacier. She said this is one of those "classic images" that people in countries like Canada associate with climate change.

"The truth is that climate change is a problem for the future. And climate change is a problem right now," Thomas said.

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