Heat and Air Pollution Worry India

A survey of 10,751 Indian adults conducted between December 2024 and February 2025 reveals widespread concern over extreme heat and air pollution. Worry is most pronounced among younger and middle-aged adults, women, and urban residents, with a notable trend of higher concern for air pollution among those with higher education levels.

• Public concern for both severe heat waves and air pollution is highest among younger and middle-aged adults compared to those aged 60 and older. Specifically, 54% of adults aged 18-29 and 58% of those aged 30-44 and 45-59 are 'very worried' about heat waves, while 48% of those 60 and older share this concern. A similar trend exists for air pollution, where 54-55% of adults under 60 are very worried, compared to 48% of those 60 and older.
• There is a gender gap in concern regarding heat waves, with 59% of women reporting they are 'very worried' compared to 53% of men. Concern for air pollution is nearly identical between genders, with 54% of women and 53% of men expressing high worry.
• While worry about heat waves is consistent across urban (56%), semi-urban (52%), and rural (56%) populations, urban residents are more likely to be very worried about air pollution (59%) than those in semi-urban or rural areas (52%).
• Concern for severe heat waves is high across all education levels, ranging from 55% for those with no or primary schooling to 58% for those with a bachelor's degree or higher. Concern for air pollution increases with education, rising from 50% among those with no or primary education to 60% among those with a bachelor's degree or higher.
• India's environmental challenges include extreme heat and severe air pollution, which often exacerbate one another due to stagnant weather conditions. In 2024, India had its longest heatwave since 2010, with over 44,000 reported cases of heatstroke, and 13 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are located in India.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2026). Heat and Air Pollution Worry India. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/heat-and-air-pollution-worry-india/

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Heat and Air Pollution Worry India. 2026. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/heat-and-air-pollution-worry-india/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Heat and Air Pollution Worry India |date=15 January 2026 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/heat-and-air-pollution-worry-india/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2026heat, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Heat and Air Pollution Worry India}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2026}, month = jan, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/heat-and-air-pollution-worry-india/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }