Pandemic reduces consumer concern about climate change, research says

At a time when discussions about the impact of climate change are increasingly latent, an Ipsos survey, released exclusively to CNN, shows that the number of people who changed their consumption habits out of concern for the environment fell by 13 % on the last year.

In January 2020, 69% of respondents said they had changed some habit out of concern for climate issues. In the survey conducted between September and October this year, only 56% responded that they maintain this concern. 23 thousand adults were heard in 29 countries.

For researchers, the data suggest that, as consumers had to change their daily habits to protect themselves from the coronavirus, they were less concerned about the environmental impact of their behavior.

Despite the setback, the president of Ipsos, Marcos Calliari, spoke with CNN and explained that the number of people who are concerned about how their way of acting impacts the environment is still high, and shows that, even with other more urgent concerns , the importance of preserving the environment will not fade away.

“In Brazil, there are still 53% of people claiming that they changed a habit solely out of concern with climate change. This happens in Brazil, and in the world. So, even with the urgency of the pandemic, concerns about protective measures have not erased this issue.”, explains Callliari.

According to the survey, the most common habit is recycling, practiced by 46% of respondents. However, among Brazilians, this habit occupies the fifth position. In Brazil, avoiding food waste and saving energy and water are the most common habits to preserve the environment.

For Marcos Calliari, because of the economic crisis in Brazil, at many times, the concern with climate change ranked second.

“The economic impact in Brazil was much more felt. Brazilians felt a lot of concern about mental health, anxiety and depression. So, if you pay attention to this consumption, it is obviously in second place.”, he explains.

Also according to the data, women are generally more likely than men to change their behavior because of climate concerns, such as avoiding throwing food, saving water at home, buying fewer new things and avoiding products that have a lot of packaging. The countries where consumers are most likely to adapt consumption to combat climate change are India, Mexico, Chile and China. Among the least likely are Japan, Russia, the United States and the Netherlands.