New Zealanders have a 'thin fear' of climate change
Some of the people most worried about climate change are doing least about it, research suggests. David Talbot, chief executive of UMR Research, said concern about the issue was "wafer thin" for many Kiwis. Speaking at the annual Insurance Council Conference earlier this month, Talbot outlined findings from UMR focus groups on climate change. "People who are saying they were very concerned about climate change are often doing less about the behaviours you would expect from them, than people who said they were less concerned," Talbot said. READ MORE: * Quick! Save the planet: Why Stuff is embarking on a long-term climate change project * 'Life-altering' changes needed to avoid the worst of climate change * Fighting climate change wouldn't stop our economy, but it might hurt the poor It appeared many people over-estimated the impact of the small lifestyle changes they have made towards saving the planet. "A lot of people consider they are doing their bit, even if it is only recycling," Talbot said. "You get that often in focus groups. People say 'I'm doing enough. The government shouldn't compel me to do any more because I recycle, so that's it for me.'" But, he said, things were changing fast, and there had been some recent watershed moments for the New Zealand public on climate change. Talbot said 2018 was the first election year in which the environment and climate change was in the top five of people's political concerns, though that may have been partly driven by concerns over the state of the country's rivers. It was also the year in which, for the first time, there were more people convinced that climate change was backed by scientific consensus, than there were people who still thought there was a scientific debate about it. And Talbot said 69 per cent of Kiwis were now convinced climate change was caused by humans, the highest margin over the nay sayers since UMR started polling over a decade ago. There are clear political lines drawn over climate change. Talbot said people who support NZ First and National were least likely to feel "very concerned" about climate change. While 53 per cent of Greens were "very concerned", and 35 per cent of Labour supporters felt the same, just 11 per cent of people who voted National, and 24 per cent of NZ First voters felt the same. Just over a third of National supporters (36 per cent) rated themselves either not at all concerned, or largely unconcerned, compared to just eight per cent of Labour voters. When asked "How serious is each party on climate change", only 23 per cent scored National as either very serious, or serious, compared to 62 per cent for Labour, and 80 per cent for Greens. "National hasn't really established credibility on this issue," Talbot said. New Zealanders were, however, not convinced humanity is up to the job. Just 10 per cent told UMR they were confident, or very confident, humans would organise a meaningful response. And, while the majority of people wanted to see action taken, they didn't want action that would make them poorer. Lower income families, who were already struggling to get by, were the least likely to countenance price rises in the name of slowing global warming. There was strong resistance to imposition of higher costs and inconvenience in the name of trying to reduce carbon emissions, Talbot said. Just 34 per cent of people said they were willing to pay 10 per cent more for petrol and electricity in order to help the government do more to deal with climate change. And after unhappiness over the Auckland regional fuel tax, Talbot wasn't convinced all of them would actually accept such cost rises. But some people said they were so concerned about climate change, they were even willing to countenance a reduction in democratic control over climate change policy in order to save the planet. In all, 35 per cent of people agreed it might be better to let an independent body set climate change policy, a bit like the way the Reserve Bank sets interest rates.