MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Two thirds of the APEC region (66%) agreed that their country should do more in the fight against climate change, with the majority of countries and citizens fearing for future generations if climate change isn’t immediately addressed, Ipsos’ 2025 People & Climate Change study reveals.
The annual Ipsos study provides an updated view on APEC’s attitudes towards the global climate
crisis and the transition to net zero emissions. Ipsos conducted the study in 32 countries between 24
January and 7 February this year.
APEC countries included in the study were Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand.
The greatest fears about failing future generations by not taking urgent action on climate change were recorded by the Philippines (82%), Indonesia (81%) and Thailand (75%). The Philippines led the world in concern, followed by Indonesia in second place, and both were well ahead of the global country average of 64% across 32 countries.
However, some APEC countries are far less concerned about the effects of climate change. Concern
about the impact of a lack of action on future generations dropped the most in Japan, from 59% in
2021 to 40% in 2025. In India concern was at 69% in 2021 and has dropped to 54% in 2025. South
Korea and Malaysia were also less concerned than they were four years ago, declining by 9% and
8% respectively. New Zealand and Australia were also less concerned than other APEC countries,
at 62% and 56% (down from 69% in 2021) respectively.
Interestingly, most APEC nations believe their governments have a clear plan in place for how
government, business and people are going to work together to tackle climate change. Six in 10
people in Indonesia and Malaysia were confident in their government’s plans, followed by 58% in
Singapore and Thailand and 56% in India. These figures were far higher than the global average of
32%. Australia and New Zealand were less confident in their governments’ plans, at 28% and 23%
respectively.
Hamish Munro, CEO, Ipsos APEC said: “APEC nations are the most concerned globally about the
future of our planet if immediate action isn’t taken on climate change. The economic and social
impact from climate change is becoming a more regular ‘event’ heightening awareness and the need
for individuals and businesses to act now to future-proof our planet.
“Most APEC nations expect their government to tackle climate change, saying they were confident in
their plans, particularly around collaboration with businesses and the community. This demonstrates the need for governments to lead in the climate change action space and reassure its citizens it’s possible to address climate change now – and into the future through policy and regulatory change.”
Key findings
Strong concern about the impacts of climate change
Many APEC nations said they were concerned about the impacts of climate change on their country.
Concern was highest in the Philippines, with 90% of people worried about the impact of climate
change on their country. This was followed by Indonesia (87%), Singapore and Japan (both 81%)
and Thailand and Malaysia (both 77%) All the figures were well above the global average of 74%,
except for New Zealand (69%, India (65%) and Australia (64%).
Mixed concern the negative impacts of the transition to green energy on household electricity bills, energy reliability, and other aspects
There is mixed concern among APEC nations on the impact of the transition to green energy. In
some countries, around half (51% in Indonesia, 50% in Singapore and 47% in Thailand) of those
surveyed believe transitioning to renewable energy will lead to an increase in household energy
prices. However, in India and the Philippines, just 39% and 34% respectively were worried about the
transition to renewables – well below the global average of 44%.
APEC wants more action on climate change
Most APEC nations want to see more action on climate change. Of the countries surveyed,
Indonesia ranked the highest globally in terms of believing the country should do more to fight
climate change, with 81% of people agreeing. This was followed by the Philippines and Thailand
(79% respectively) and Malaysia (72%).
APEC still divided on the impacts of climate change
A lack of overwhelming agreement with several key statements showed that many APEC nations are
divided about the direct impact of climate change:
- The past 10 years have been the warmest on record (44% of people in India agreed – the lowest level of agreement globally, followed by 50% in Japan, 53% in Malaysia, 56% in Australia and 61% in New Zealand).
- In Thailand, 68% of people agreed that climate change is the single biggest threat facing humanity, followed by South Korea (63%), the Philippines (62%) and Indonesia (60%), which were above the global country average of 40%. However, other countries, such as Japan, India and Australia were less concerned (47% and 38% each respectively)
Less concern about the impact of the transition to renewable energy
Concern about the transition to renewable energy has dropped among APEC, with less than three in 10 citizens in several countries surveyed, agreeing with the below statements:
- More nations disagree than agree that electric cars are as bad for the planet as petrol cars. Just 21% agree in Japan, 26% in Indonesia and Malaysia, and 30% in Singapore. New Zealand sat at 41% and Australia at 36%, which was higher than the global country average of 34%.
- 38% of people in India, 36% in Indonesia and 35% in Thailand believed that transitioning to renewable energy would lead to more blackouts and brownouts, however only 22% of Japanese and 21% of people in the Philippines agreed with this statement.
About the Study
The Ipsos People & Climate Change Study is a 32-country survey conducted by Ipsos on its Global
Advisor online platform between January 24 and February 7, 2025. The sample consists approximately 1,000 individuals each in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Spain, and the U.S., and 500 individuals each in Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, and Türkiye.
The sample in India consists of approximately 2,200 individuals, of whom approximately 1,800 were interviewed face-to-face and 400 were interviewed online. The precision of Ipsos online polls is calculated using a credibility interval with a poll where N=1,000 being accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points and of where N=500 being accurate to +/- 5.0 percentage points. For more information on Ipsos’ use of credibility intervals, please visit the Ipsos website. The publication of these findings abides by local rules and regulations.
