2. The Survey Evidence
A
2019 YouGov survey of 30,000 individuals that are believed to be
representative of the online population in 28 countries indicated that
there were only 14 countries in which 50 % or more of the respondents
would agree with the statement that “The climate is changing and human
activity is mainly responsible” (Figure 1). A significant number of the
respondents indicated that human activity is only partly responsible for
climate change. For example, while 40% of the respondents in Denmark
agreed with the scientific consensus, 48% agreed with the view that
“…human activity is partly responsible, together with
other factors (emphasis added). In the United Kingdom, 51%
endorsed the scientific consensus, while 37% believe that human
activity is only partly responsible. In China, 45% endorsed the
scientific consensus, while 48% believe human activity is only partly
responsible. In the USA, 38% endorsed the scientific consensus, 37%
reported that they believe that human activity is only partly
responsible for climate change, 9% believe that human activity is not a
driver of climate change, and 6% reported that they do not believe that
the climate is changing.