The publics’ concern for global warming: A cross-national study of 47 countries
| Published date | 01 January 2012 |
| Date | 01 January 2012 |
| Author | Henning Finseraas,Berit Kvaløy,Ola Listhaug |
| DOI | 10.1177/0022343311425841 |
| Subject Matter | Research Articles |
Research Articles
The publics’ concern for global warming:
A cross-national study of 47 countries
Berit Kvaløy
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Henning Finseraas
Norwegian Social Research
Ola Listhaug
Norwegian University of Science and Technology & Centre for the Study of Civil War, PRIO
Abstract
This article relies on data from the 2005–09 World Values Survey to examine individual and cross-national varia-
tion in perception of the seriousness of global warming. The data show that a large majority of the public in all
countries are concerned about the problem of global warming and that this assessment is part of a broader concern
for global environmental issues. The widespread concern implies that global warming has the potential to generate
mass political participation and demand for political action. Motivated by a value-based approach to the study of
public opinion, the article shows that perception of the seriousness of the problem is positively correlated with high
education, post-materialism, and a leftist position on the left–right scale. In addition, religious beliefs are important,
suggesting that there is some diversity in the value basis for the issue and that it is not only linked to the ‘new-
politics’ perspective. Variation across nations in wealth and CO
2
emissions is not significantly related to the publics’
assessments of the problem, and, somewhat counterintuitively, people from countries relatively more exposed to
climate-related natural disasters are less concerned about global warming. We suggest possible explanations for the
latter finding and discuss our results in relation to the broader literature on environmental change, insecurity, and
the potential for conflict.
Keywords
cross-national attitude studies, global warming, public opinion
Introduction
Global warming has emerged as a major political concern
among scientists, politicians, and citizens across the
globe. In this article we study one important aspect of
this issue among citizens: the perception of the serious-
ness of the problem – both in an absolute sense and rela-
tive to other major environmental issues. Such
perception of seriousness is only one of many relevant
issues of global warming (Nisbet & Myers, 2007), but
it is the obvious starting point for policy considerations
and demand for political action from mass publics.
So far, the issue of global warming has not led to wide-
spread political involvement of the mass public; it has
been restricted to smaller activist groups. However, the
nature of global warming as a political issue leads us to
expect that it has the potential to become an important
generator of political participation and policy considera-
tions among the mass publics. Gleditsch (1998: 388f)
distinguishes between a broad and a narrow view of
Corresponding author:
berit.kvaloy@tns-gallup.no
Journal of Peace Research
49(1) 11–22
ªThe Author(s) 2012
Reprints and permission:
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0022343311425841
jpr.sagepub.com
p
eace
R
ESEARCH
journal of
To continue reading
Request your trial