The number of people worldwide who consider climate change a 'very' or 'somewhat' serious threat to individuals in their nation has climbed to three-quarters (75%) for the first time, according to a global study by Lloyd's Register Foundation's annual World Risk Poll. The findings, based on surveys of 143,000 people across 140 countries by analytics firm Gallup, coincide with the UK enduring a 37C heatwave that registered the hottest June day ever recorded.
Record High Global Anxiety
The 75% figure represents the highest level of global public anxiety documented by the Poll since its launch in 2019, when the proportion stood at just under seven in 10 (69%). This rise is being fuelled by populations in middle-income nations, who are increasingly experiencing the impact of record temperatures alongside more frequent and severe extreme weather incidents.
However, the worldwide increase conceals a decline in the strength of concern across numerous high-income nations. The share of adults viewing climate change as a 'very serious' threat has fallen from over half (54%) to just under half (49%) – though still exceeding the 40% global average. Eight high-income countries – Kuwait, Croatia, Spain, Ireland, Denmark, Canada, New Zealand and the UK – have witnessed drops of at least 10 percentage points.
El Niño and Record Heat
The findings come in a year set to rank among the warmest on record, exacerbated by the recent confirmation of an El Niño weather pattern expected to raise temperatures even higher next year.
Speaking at the World Risk Poll launch event at London Climate Action Week, Nancy Hey, Director of Evidence and Insight at Lloyd's Register Foundation, said: "Three quarters of people worldwide now see climate change as a serious threat – the highest we've ever recorded – and fewer people now say they don't know if it will affect them. This is a clear foundation for action; action that can improve lives now and in the future. When we recognise our shared concern, we can move faster, together, for real, practical change."
Perception Gap in High-Income Countries
Despite a decline in the most intense levels of concern, four in five people (79%) in high income countries still consider climate change to be at least a 'somewhat serious' threat to their fellow citizens. However, figures from the World Risk Poll indicate that people in these nations significantly underestimate the extent of their compatriots' concerns. While half (49%) regard climate change as a 'very serious' threat, just one in five (20%) believe most others in their country share that view. This disparity is most pronounced in Portugal (42 percentage points) and the United States (41).
Pedro Conceição, Director of the Human Development Report Office at the United Nations Development Programme – which supported the development of the Poll – said: "The findings of the World Risk Poll reveal a powerful but often overlooked barrier to climate action: across the world, people care more about climate change than they believe others do. This perception gap matters. When people who support climate action think they are in the minority, they may be less likely to speak up, act, or support visible policy change – weakening the collective action that is urgently needed."
Additional Findings from the World Risk Poll
The report – Alone Together: The Hidden Consensus on Climate Change – accompanies a second 2026 World Risk Poll report: The Quiet Hazards: How Everyday Risk Shapes Daily Life, which monitors worldwide concern about, and harm caused by, a range of varying safety risks. Headline findings include a global reduction in rates of workplace injury, from one in five (20%) in 2021 to one in six (16%) in 2025, and a global increase in harm from food and drinking water, to 14% and 13% of adults respectively – the highest level since the Poll began in 2019.
