Many more Quebecers believe that climate change is a high risk and are more willing to change their habits if governments impose taxes than just three years ago, reveals a new study published on Sunday on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26.
Between the survey by the Center interuniversitaire de recherche en analyze des organizations (CIRANO) conducted in 2018 and that of this year, the proportion of Quebecers who consider that climate change presents a great or very great risk has increased from 53% to 69%.
“We are really seeing a generalized awareness” and a “substantial” increase in perceived risk, summarizes researcher Ingrid Peignier, who co-authored the article with professor Nathalie De Marcellis-Warin of Polytechnique Montreal.
The publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report midway through the survey period last summer did not have a significant influence on the proportion of respondents who perceived that the risks from climate change were high, but halved the proportion of those who rated the risks low, from 8% to 4%.
In its report, the intergovernmental body created by the United Nations launched “a red alert for humanity” and called for immediate action to counter climate change. Experts noted that the Earth’s climate is warming so much that temperatures will soon exceed the threshold that world leaders have been trying not to cross.
Overall, the proportion of respondents classified as ‘climate skeptics’ by researchers, those who believe that climate change does not exist or that it is not caused by human activities, is down from 25%. at 17%.
Tax pollution
But boots don’t always follow the lips. “When we talk about really concrete actions, the figures for these elements, especially in mobility, are similar to 2018”, analyzes Ms. Peignier, in an interview with The Canadian Press.
For example, the needle barely moves when respondents are asked whether they would take more public transit or active transportation (walking, cycling, etc.) rather than their car for a trip when possible. .
If the “values” do not have more impact on behavior, the researchers put their finger on the “incentive” which would make it change things: the price. And the evolution is spectacular. A progression that Ms. Pelletier explains by the increase in the level of concern of the population about the issue.
“69% of Quebecers would change their habits or behavior to reduce the impact of a tax on gas-guzzling vehicles, against 43% in 2018, an increase of 26 points,” they note in an article.
They would also be more likely than three years ago to change their habits to reduce the impact of the tax on their personal finances if a government imposed a tax on the recovery of waste, water or road tolls.
In general, the researchers find that respondents who are more concerned about environmental risks are significantly more likely to use public transport rather than their car (31%) than those who do not perceive significant risks (17%). And 47% to use active transportation rather than their car against 31%.
The study also reveals that respondents perceive that it is mainly industries (83%) that have an impact on climate change. They are much less likely (62%) to believe that their personal actions have an influence. Although this difference has been observed in previous studies, the proportions are increasing, being 80% and 54% respectively in 2018.
The two CIRANO surveys were conducted with a sample of approximately 1000 respondents representative of the Quebec population. The 2021 data collection was carried out from August 5 to 15 using an online panel from Léger Marketing. It cannot be given a margin of error because surveys of this type are not considered random samples.