Climate change: Kiwis happy with government action but keen for more
More than half the country is satisfied with our government's response to climate change but there's room to do more, according to a new survey. The nationally representative Climate Catalyst survey assessed how Americans, Australians, Brits, Canadians and New Zealanders felt about government action on climate change. Of the five, Kiwis were the most positive: 56 per cent rate themselves as satisfied with the government's response. Canada came in second place, with 48 per cent feeling the same way. READ MORE: * Six New Zealands of climate change: Which one are you? * Climate strike attracts over 1500 calling for a 'green' Covid-19 recovery * Poll: New Zealanders' climate change fears are growing Australia was at the other end of the spectrum just 39 per cent of Australians were satisfied with the response of their government, which has been accused of ignoring climate change even as temperatures and bushfires break records. But before our leaders get complacent, the survey found three in four New Zealanders believe the government should do more to address the issue. However, this sentiment was stronger in all four other countries. Leading the pack was the UK, with 81 per cent of Brits saying their leaders must do more. Australian company Glow conducted the survey using its online research platform. Company founder Tim Clover said the desire for more action in the background of reported satisfaction was often a reflection of an issue's importance to people. "We're a species that is hard to satisfy. People are hard to please. There's always a bit of a gap no matter what you have you want more," he said. "What we're seeing with this topic, there's never enough you can do. The policies that are being put in place [in New Zealand] are a step in the right direction, more so than with other countries." Although most New Zealanders think society will overcome the challenges posed by climate change, we're slightly less convinced than other countries 54 per cent of Kiwis agree with this statement, compared to 60 per cent of Americans. One in five New Zealanders are pessimistic the world will be able to turn things around in time to avoid catastrophic climate change. Of the five nationalities, Kiwis were the most likely to say they trust government to do the right thing. Public trust in our elected leaders has remained high during the Covid-19 pandemic, though the climate survey was conducted between March 11 and 17, before the country's lockdown. In contrast, Americans were more likely to distrust than trust their government. New Zealand "led across the board" in the survey results, Clover said. Of the five, the New Zealand government had been seen to take action and had won public support. "New Zealanders are showing a better level of satisfaction with policy decisions," he said. The research will help governments and citizens better understand the public support for climate action, Clover said. "It's an area that is difficult from a policy perspective... We want them to understand the pulse of the population." The Climate Catalyst project surveyed 1048 Kiwis out of a total of 5256 respondents in the weighted web survey. The margin of error was 3 per cent.