Climate Change’s Four Irelands: An Audience Segmentation Analysis

The report segments the Irish adult population into four groups: the Alarmed (36%), Concerned (48%), Cautious (12%), and Doubtful (3%). These groups differ significantly in their level of worry, perceived risk, and willingness to take personal action, though a broad majority of the population supports government climate policies, particularly those framed as redistributive and fair.

• The Irish public is divided into four distinct climate audiences: the Alarmed (36%), the Concerned (48%), the Cautious (12%), and the Doubtful (3%). The Alarmed are the most convinced that climate change is a real and immediate threat, while the Doubtful are the least concerned and most sceptical.
• Climate scepticism is very low in Ireland; only about 40,000 people (roughly 1% of the adult population) believe that climate change is not happening.
• There is widespread support for climate policies across the population, with 75% of the public supporting increased energy efficiency in low-income homes and 73% supporting further renewable energy development.
• The framing of climate policies significantly impacts public support: redistributive policies that protect lower socioeconomic groups receive the highest support across all segments, whereas outright bans on fuels lead to sharp increases in opposition.
• A 'say-do gap' exists among the most engaged audiences; while the Alarmed and Concerned report high intentions to act personally to address climate change, the proportion who have actually taken such actions is much lower.
• There is no evidence of a strong urban-rural divide in climate change opinions, as all four audience segments are found in both urban and rural settings.
• The Alarmed and Concerned audiences are the most likely to trust scientists, the EPA, and educators, while online influencers and celebrities are not highly trusted by any group.
• Knowledge of the specific sources of pollution in Ireland is low across all segments; only 40% of the Alarmed, 31% of the Concerned, 20% of the Cautious, and 13% of the Doubtful correctly identify agriculture as the largest source of pollution.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2022). Climate Change’s Four Irelands: An Audience Segmentation Analysis. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2022/11/Ireland-EPA-Climate-Change-Four-Irelands.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Climate Change’s Four Irelands: An Audience Segmentation Analysis. 2022. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2022/11/Ireland-EPA-Climate-Change-Four-Irelands.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Change’s Four Irelands: An Audience Segmentation Analysis |date=2022 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2022/11/Ireland-EPA-Climate-Change-Four-Irelands.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2022climate, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Climate Change’s Four Irelands: An Audience Segmentation Analysis}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2022}, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2022/11/Ireland-EPA-Climate-Change-Four-Irelands.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }