The Impacts of Climate Disinformation on Public Perception

The report finds that climate disinformation is widespread across Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, the UK, and the USA, with between 55% and 85% of surveyed populations believing at least one misinformation statement. Significant gaps exist between public perception and scientific consensus regarding the human cause of climate change and the role of natural gas. The study highlights that regular news consumption does not necessarily correlate with better scientific understanding and, in some cases, is linked to higher belief in misinformation narratives. Additionally, a substantial portion of respondents in all six countries believe their nations cannot afford to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

• A significant portion of the surveyed populations hold beliefs contrary to scientific consensus: between 6% and 23% do not believe in climate change or are uncertain about it, and 22% to 38% believe humans are only partially responsible. The United States has the highest likelihood of holding the latter belief.
• There is widespread belief that natural gas is a climate-friendly energy source, contradicting scientific data on methane leaks. This belief is held by 57% of Indians, 40% of Brazilians, 39% of US citizens, 34% of Australians, and 25% of Germans, while only 14% of the UK population shares this view.

APA

Climate Action Against Disinformation (n.d.). The Impacts of Climate Disinformation on Public Perception. https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Executive-Summary_The-Impacts-of-Climate-Disinformation-on-Public-Perception.pdf

Chicago

Climate Action Against Disinformation. The Impacts of Climate Disinformation on Public Perception. n.d. https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Executive-Summary_The-Impacts-of-Climate-Disinformation-on-Public-Perception.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Action Against Disinformation |title=The Impacts of Climate Disinformation on Public Perception |url=https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Executive-Summary_The-Impacts-of-Climate-Disinformation-on-Public-Perception.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateactionagainstdisinformationndimpacts, author = {{Climate Action Against Disinformation}}, title = {{The Impacts of Climate Disinformation on Public Perception}}, institution = {Climate Action Against Disinformation}, url = {https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Executive-Summary_The-Impacts-of-Climate-Disinformation-on-Public-Perception.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }