People around the world are equally concerned about climate change as well as the spread of infectious diseases. A new study by Pew Research centre said that while 70 per cent of the people surveyed considered climate change as a major threat to their country, 69 per cent considered infectious diseases as a threat.
The research was held in 14 countries in Europe, East Asia, the US, Canada and Australia. The survey said that both the spread of infectious disease and climate change was considered major threats in majority of the countries. When people in eight countries pointed out that climate change was a major threat, the people in other countries stated that infectious diseases were the threat.
The Pew Centre said that 59 per cent in Australia, 83 per cent in France, Spain and Italy feels climate change as a major threat. Two thirds or more people in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Japan and South Korea say the same. The report points out that only quarter or more people say that climate change is a minor threat. It said that 34 per cent of the people surveyed in Denmark were of this opinion.
The researchers said that the percentage of people attributing climate change a major threat has increase since 2013 when a similar survey was held. . In 2013, a median of 55 per cent across ten countries opined that climate change was a major threat. And in 2020, a median of 76 per cent across the same ten countries point it as a major threat.
The survey also said that the perception of people to climate change changed as per the political affiliations. Left leaning people were more concerned about climate change than the right leaning ones. This political divide was quite evident in the US. While 89 per cent of the liberals saw climate change as a major threat, only 40 per cent of conservatives thought so. The survey also said that women were more concerned than men with respect to climate change.
