The results of the survey will be released in a series of seven research papers covering the following areas:
1. Anxieties about climate change in 2050
Nearly two in five Australians believe that Australia will be ‘much hotter’ in 2050 and more than half of Australians (53%) say that climate change makes them feel insecure sometimes, often or very often.
Respondents with higher levels of education express more concern about climate change. Concern varies widely with political orientation with progressive voters much more worried about climate change and much more likely than conservative voters to believe that Australia will be much hotter in 2050. Nearly 40 per cent of Coalition voters believe the climate will be unchanged in 2050.
Download Research Paper 1
2. Parents and climate change
Almost half of Australian parents are either very concerned or extremely concerned about the effects of climate change on their children’s well-being and life chances in the coming decades. Mothers are significantly more worried than fathers.
Parents who vote for progressive parties are much more anxious about their children’s future under climate change compared to those who vote for conservative parties.
Two thirds of women thinking about becoming mothers for the first time, say they are hesitant to do so because of the changing climate. Almost one in five say they are ‘very hesitant’. Climate change concerns are particularly important for women in the 25-35 years age group.
Download Research Paper 2
3. Australia in 2050: food supplies, refugees, conflict etc
More than four in five Australian are concerned about food shortages by 2050 as the world becomes warmer, with 30 per cent saying they are very concerned or extremely concerned.
More than four in five Australian are concerned about large numbers of climate refugees arriving in Australia as the climate warms, with 30 per cent saying they are very concerned or extremely concerned. Although much less concerned about climate change, conservative voters express more worry about climate refugees than progressive voters.
More than four in five Australian are concerned about social and economic collapse in Australia by 2050 under the pressure of climate change, with 30 per cent saying they are very concerned or extremely concerned. One Nation voters express much higher levels of concern than those who vote Liberal or National Party.
4. Where best to live?
More than 40 per cent of Australians believe Tasmania will be the safest place to live as rising global temperatures bring more extreme weather. Tasmania is the preferred destination especially among those most worried about climate change. Only seven percent believe Queensland will be safest and they are almost all Queenslanders. (The results are percentages of those who expressed an opinion. Almost a third saying they don’t know or it’s hard to say.)
5. Exposure to extreme weather events and home modification
A third of Australians say they have been directly affected by floods since 2019, with eight percent saying they have been affected three or more times. The numbers affected by bushfires are slightly lower.
A quarter of Australian households have modified their homes to protect themselves from extreme weather since 2019. The modifications are most often designed to protect homes from storms with strong winds and heatwaves. The most common home modifications have been removing trees and vegetation, fitting awnings and shutters, installing air conditioning, sealing gaps, and securing or replacing roofs.
6. Moving home
A third of Australians say they at times think about moving home because they are worried about the climate changing where they live now. Those with higher levels of concern about climate change think more often about moving home. Heatwaves, severe storms, and bushfires are their main worry.
Fifteen per cent of Australians who have moved home since 2019 were influenced to do so in part by climate change. The influence of climate change on the decision to move is substantially higher in Queensland and country NSW. A third of those who moved say they did so because it was getting too hot where they were, while a quarter say it was to escape floods.
Almost a quarter of Australians who intend to move home in the next 12 months say their decision is in part influenced by their experience of climate change or extreme weather. Those living in regions effected by severe floods or bushfires are more likely to move in response to climate change concerns. Heatwaves, bushfires and floods are the events most often mentioned as the cause of concern.
7. Insurance and who should pay
Three quarters of Australian believe that insurance companies are using extreme weather events as an excuse to raise home insurance premiums excessively. This view is held equally strongly by voters irrespective of who they voted for.
Only 21 per cent of Australians believe it’s fair for taxpayers to subsidize the cost of rising insurance premiums for those living in areas prone to extreme weather events. Fifty per cent say funding for subsidies should come from levies on carbon emitting industries.
Thirteen per cent of homeowners say that rising insurance premiums are forcing them to reconsider where they live.
