Climate change perceptions and actions survey: wave 3 and 4 (summary)

The Climate Change Perceptions and Actions survey produced by WSP UK Ltd. was commissioned by the Welsh Government to understand the public's attitudes and behaviours related to tackling climate change. It will be conducted in six biannual waves with up to 1,000 interviews each. This summary report presents the results of the third and fourth survey waves. The questionnaire is designed to cover six topics related to reducing carbon emissions: demographics, perceptions and attitudes, home energy, food, daily life, and travel.

The samples of both waves of the survey are considered broadly representative of the population of Wales based on age, ethnicity, work status, household income and tenure. Minor variations were observed for location, occupation, and property type. The data was collected online via postcards delivered to selected addresses and face to face. The fieldwork for wave 3 took place in August and September 2024, with 939 completed responses. The fieldwork for wave 4 took place in February and March 2025, with 1,001 completed responses. The data was collected online and face to face.

Several limitations should be borne in mind when considering the Wave 3 and 4 survey results. 

Firstly, the survey analysis was bivariate, meaning it only considered the relationship between two variables at a time. This approach does not capture how multiple factors may interact to influence individuals' attitudes and behaviours around climate change. It is possible that observed associations between demographic variables and climate change attitudes or behaviours could be explained by confounding variables. 

Second, the survey results were not weighted to reflect the broader population. This means the findings may not be representative of the general public's attitudes and behaviours.

The survey also relied on respondents' self-reported attitudes and behaviours, which may be subject to bias or exaggeration. In addition, self-reported views may have been influenced by the media environment at the time of the survey. 

A final consideration is the reliance on these early survey waves for drawing conclusions. This increases the risk that any observed relationships could be due to chance and limits the ability to track changes over time or to affirm the stability of the observed attitudes and behaviours. Repeated measurements, as will be provided from future survey waves, are required to determine whether the identified relationships are stable or subject to fluctuation over time.

Perceptions and attitudes

The majority of respondents in both waves 3 and 4 thought that the main cause of climate change was human activity. Only a very small minority of respondents (Wave 3, 1%; Wave 4, 3%) reported that they ‘don’t think climate change is happening.’ However, there was a statistically significant decrease in the number of respondents reporting that climate change was caused ‘mainly’ or ‘entirely’ by human activity between wave 3 and wave 4. 

The majority of respondents across both waves thought climate change was a serious problem and reported being ‘fairly’ worried about it. There was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of respondents reporting being ‘fairly worried’ between wave 2 and 3. 

A higher proportion of respondents aged 18-35 reported being ‘fairly worried and very worried’ about climate change than respondents from other age groups. A smaller proportion of respondents aged 65+ reported being ‘not very worried and not at all worried’ about climate change than other respondents. 

When asked who in society is responsible for tackling climate change ^{[footnote 1]}, younger respondents more frequently reported ‘high’ or ‘somewhat’ levels of responsibility for tackling climate change across all factors than other age groups.

When asked about the extent to which these societal groups ^{[footnote 1]} were taking action to address climate change. Generally, the majority of respondents thought that all groups were ‘taking some action but could do more’. The Welsh Government and the UK Government were most frequently reported as ‘taking lots of action’. Businesses, Countries outside the UK and local communities were most frequently associated with not ‘taking lots of action’.

Respondents were asked to rank from one (not at all) to ten (a great deal) if they felt a personal responsibility for preventing climate change from worsening. The majority of respondents across both waves said they felt a high responsibility (ranked 6 to 10). When respondents were asked to rank from one (not at all) to ten (a great deal) if they felt their personal actions could prevent climate change from worsening. A statistically significant increase in the numbers of respondents reporting 6-10 was observed between waves 2 and 3, suggesting growing levels of personal responsibility. The proportion of respondents reporting between 6-10 continued to grow between waves 3 and 4 but this change is not statistically significant. When compared, there was some disparity between the levels of personal responsibility reported, and respondent’s feelings about whether their personal actions could prevent climate change from worsening. 

The majority of respondents reported knowing ‘a little’, or ‘fair amount’ about climate-related topics (Net Zero, Climate Adaptation and the Nature Emergency). Generally, respondents had less knowledge of Climate Adaptation and Nature Emergency than they had about Net Zero, but across all three areas, few reported that they ‘know a lot’.

Home energy use and efficiency

Respondents were asked about actions they have taken to save energy; these were categorised into higher impact and lower impact based on their impact on reducing carbon emissions ^{[footnote 2]}. Across both waves, the most commonly undertaken lower impact action was turning off the lights followed by wearing warmer clothing. Of the higher impact actions, the most commonly undertaken were drying clothes outside or on an airer, followed by lowering the thermostat.

 The number of actions taken varied by attitudes towards climate change. Those who believe climate change is caused entirely or partly by human activity, think climate change is a serious problem, or are ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ worried about climate change, reported undertaking more energy saving actions than other respondents. 

Respondents were asked about the installation of energy efficient measures in their home ^{[footnote 3]}. The most commonly reported energy efficiency measures were energy saving light bulbs and water efficient shower heads across both waves. 

Across most measures a greater proportion of respondents with household incomes of £50,000 or above reported having them installed in their home than those in lower-income households. Respondents with lower household incomes more commonly reported having none of the measures installed compared to those with higher household incomes. 

When asked about the use of smart meters, the majority of respondents said they had a smart meter in their home.

Food consumption and waste

Respondents were asked how often they consumed types of food ^{[footnote 4]}. Across both waves, dairy products and fruit and vegetables were the most frequently consumed food type by all respondents, with fish and red meat the least frequently consumed.

Respondents were asked about making changes to their diet, these changes were categorised based on their impact on reducing carbon emissions (Higher impact, Medium to High, Lower Impact). When asked whether respondents had made changes to their diet, the most commonly reported changes to diet were reducing red meat (higher impact) and increasing fruit and vegetables (lower impact). 

The number of actions taken varied by respondents’ attitudes towards climate change. A greater proportion of respondents who reported that climate change was a serious problem and were ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ worried about climate change reported making changes to their diet than other respondents.

Respondents were asked about sustainable actions when shopping for food or cooking meals (sustainable food actions) ^{[footnote 5]}. Actions were categorised into ‘higher impact’ and ‘lower impact’ based on their carbon impact. Actions with a lower carbon impact like checking 'best before' dates and reheating leftovers were more commonly reported, while higher impact actions like composting food waste at home and buying seasonal food were less commonly reported.

The average number of sustainable food actions taken by respondents were calculated. Respondents who lived in the centre of a large city or town, undertook more sustainable food actions than those living in other area types, such taking a shopping list, reheating leftovers, and checking the fridge or freezer before going shopping. This difference in sustainable food actions by area type tended to be less pronounced for in Wave 4, i.e. those living in the centre of a large city or town were more similar in their sustainable food practices to those living in other area types especially the suburbs, when compared to Wave 3. 

The number of actions taken varied by respondents’ attitudes towards climate change. Respondents who believed climate change is caused entirely or mainly by human activity, thought it was a serious problem and were ‘very and fairly worried’ about climate change, more reported undertaking a higher number of sustainable food actions than other respondents.

Daily life

Respondents were asked what sustainable actions they undertook in daily life ^{[footnote 6]}, these were categorised into higher and lower impact based on their impact on reducing carbon emissions. The three most commonly reported sustainable actions were ‘donating or selling unwanted items’, ‘using reusable products’ and ‘recycling unwanted items’ 

For almost all of the sustainable actions, a greater proportion of respondents with a higher household income were undertaking them in comparison to those with lower household income. 

A greater proportion of respondents living in the centre of a city or large town reported undertaking sustainable actions compared to those living in other area types across most of the actions.

The average number of sustainable actions undertaken by respondents was calculated. Respondents who believed climate change was caused ‘entirely or mainly by human activity’, thought it was a serious problem, and were ‘very and fairly worried’ about it, reported undertaking more sustainable actions than other respondents.

Travel

The majority of all respondents lived in a household with access to at least one vehicle.  However, across both waves just under a fifth of households did not have access to a vehicle. Respondents less frequently used trains and buses in comparison to cars. The vast majority of respondents in both waves reported using a car ‘everyday’ or ‘two or more times a week but not every day’.

The proportion of households with access to hybrid and electric vehicles increased from Wave 3 (12% and 5% respectively) to Wave 4 (19% and 9% respectively). This has not been tested for statistical significance.

Overall, fewer respondents reported taking long-distance holidays in the past 12 months than domestic or short-distance holidays. A greater proportion of respondents with higher household incomes reported taking ‘domestic’, ‘short distance’ and ‘long distance’ holidays in the last 12 months compared to those with lower incomes.

Respondents were asked about which sustainable travel actions ^{[footnote 7]} they undertook, these were categorised into ‘very high, high, medium-high and medium impact actions’ based on their impact on reducing carbon emissions. The most commonly undertaken sustainable travel action was walking or using a wheelchair where possible and using public transport where possible. The least commonly undertaken sustainable travel actions were car sharing, cycling where possible, and avoiding taking flights.

The average number of sustainable travel actions taken was calculated. The number of actions taken by respondents varied by respondents’ attitudes towards climate change. Respondents who believed climate change was caused ‘entirely or mainly by human activity’, thought it was a serious problem, and were ‘very and fairly’ worried about it, reported undertaking more sustainable travel actions than other respondents.

[1] General public, Local Community, Your Council, Businesses, Welsh Government, UK Government, Countries Outside UK.

[2] Higher impact: Turned preheat option off on combi boiler, reduced boiler flow temperature, turned down hot water temperature, lowered radiator settings, lowered thermostat, dry clothes outside or on an airer. Lower impact: Use less hot water, waited until later in the hear to turn on the heating, ventilate or share home in warmer weather, keep radiators clear to allow heat to spread more quickly, unplug appliances when not in use, open curtains to allow sunlight to warm the house, wear warmer clothing, turn off lights when not in use.

[3] Timer switches on lights, smart lighting, smart heating, energy saving lightbulbs, water efficient shower head, solar or heat window films, motion sensors on lights.

[4] ‘Dairy, Red Meat, White Meat, Fish/Seafood, Fruit/Vegetables.

[5] Higher impact: Intentionally buy food from sustainable businesses, compost food waste at home, intentionally buy locally grown food, intentionally buy seasonal food, cook in bulk. Lower impact: Plan meals in advance, check that food is stored correctly, take a list when you go shopping, only buy the food you know you are going to use, reheat leftovers rather than throw them away or use leftovers in a different meal, check what is in the fridge or freezer before you go shopping, check the ‘best before’ and ‘use-by’ dates of food you buy.

[6] Borrow or rent items, repurpose something for a different use instead of throw away, buy second-hand items, fix things rather than buying new, donate or sell unwanted items, intentionally choose sustainable businesses, intentionally buy products with less packaging, shop close to home, recycle unwanted items or take them to a reuse facility, use re-useable products.

[7] Keep to 60mph and below when driving to save fuel, car share, use public transport, cycle, try to avoid using car/van/motorcycle, avoid unnecessary travel, walk/wheel, avoid taking flights.

Report author: Colin Wright

Views expressed in this report are those of the researchers and not necessarily those of the Welsh Government.

For further information please contact:

Knowledge and Analytical Services
Social Research and Information Division
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

Email: ClimateAndEnvironmentResearch@gov.wales

Social research number: 43/2026
Digital ISBN: 978-1-83745-204-0