Most Israelis concerned about climate change, new survey

An overwhelming majority of the Israeli public is concerned about climate change. Some 1,180 respondents from all adult population groups in Israel were asked about their knowledge and attitudes towards climate change and its impacts on the environment, economy, society, and health. While Tel Aviv may get an A for Sustainability, the survey looked at parts of Israeli society.

Related: what do young Israelis say about climate change?

The survey was conducted by the National Institute for Climate Policy Research in cooperation with the Laboratory for Communication Research and Social Bias headed by Dr. Yossi David from the Department of Communications Studies, and in consultation with climate researcher Dr. Avner Gross, all from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The data was collected between June 26-30, 2024 by the research institute ‘Panel-Hamidgam’.

One-third of survey participants expressed a willingness to change their behavior for the sake of environmental protection. 36% are willing to eat less animal-based food; 33% are willing to travel more by public transport; 24% are willing to fly less and only 13% are willing to pay higher taxes to promote environmental protection.

“It seems that the public is readier to change their habits than policymakers believe,” said Tamar Zandberg, head of the National Institute for Climate Policy Research at Ben-Gurion University and former Minister of Environmental Protection.

“The most significant change that Israelis are willing to make is in their dietary habits, although the issue is not usually associated with climate change in Israel. Our conclusion, therefore, is that it is not only possible but necessary to think about more ambitious policy measures. The public is eager to hear from decision-makers as moral compasses and are waiting for a call to action at the individual and community level, in order to reduce environmental damage.”

Another key finding from the survey indicates that the majority of the Israeli public (77%) is concerned about an increase in air pollution influenced by human activities, such as burning fuels; 76% are concerned about extreme events, such as fires, heatwaves, and floods; and 51% are concerned about the flooding of coastal cities due to rising sea levels.

For most Israelis, climate change is caused by humans, but belief in conspiracy theories that challenge the scientific consensus on climate change is also high. 62% of respondents believe that there are economic interests behind the claims about climate change; 58% of respondents believe that there are political interests and 40% believe that science is divided on whether there is climate change.

“The Israeli public is surprisingly knowledgeable about the dangers of the climate crisis, despite the lack of sufficient public discussion on these issues,” noted Dr. David.

The findings also show that the Israeli public wants change but doesn’t have enough reliable information. Most of the Israeli public from all political backgrounds (63% in total) has high trust in science and does not trust social media. The highest level of trust is in scientists and academics (63%); trust in friends and family is also prominent (59%), 40% expressed trust in the Ministry of Environmental Protection and only 14% expressed trust in social media. The high trust in scientists and science indicates the need to make scientific knowledge about climate change and environmental protection accessible to the public.

“This is one of the most interesting findings of the survey in my opinion. This finding indicates the public’s thirst for reliable scientific knowledge and the ability of such knowledge to influence public attitudes,” explained Dr. Gross. “It seems that the involvement of academia in the climate discourse in Israel and in direct dialogue with the public is crucial.”

The entire Israeli public recognizes the need to promote policies that will enable adaptation to climate change. There are some differences between right-wing and left-wing supporters, but they are significantly smaller than the differences in other countries, particularly the United States.

It seems that self-identifying leftists tend to be slightly more concerned than rightists about the impacts of climate change; they are more supportive of promoting policies to reduce climate change and are more willing to change behavior to cope with climate change than rightists.

An overwhelming majority (89%) of respondents from the left expressed concern about an increase in air pollution resulting from human activities, while the center (76%) and the right (72%) expressed similar concern. The differences found were relatively small compared to the United States and indicate that attitudes towards climate change have not yet been fully politicized in Israel.

Women are more concerned than men

Examining the differences between men and women shows that women are more concerned than men about the impacts of climate change. While an overwhelming majority (85%) of women expressed concern about an increase in air pollution resulting from human activities, a smaller majority (69%) of men expressed similar concern. Women are more supportive of promoting policies to reduce climate change and are more willing to change behavior to cope with climate change than men. 43% of women are willing to eat less animal-based food compared to 28% of men; 35% of women are willing to travel by public transport compared to 30% of men; 26% of women are willing to fly less compared to 22% of men.

“The data on the differences between men and women is similar to the data we know from other places around the world,” emphasized Dr. David. “However, the differences between right and left in Israel are smaller than in the United States, for example, indicating that the issue has not been fully politicized in Israel.”

Tamar Zandberg added that “this indicates that there can be broad and cross-party support for more significant policy measures to address the climate crisis.”

The survey findings show that an overwhelming majority of the Israeli public believes that climate change is dangerous to humanity and that the government should prepare for climate change.

“Public attitudes and perceptions towards the climate crisis are critical elements in humanity’s response to the greatest challenge in its history,” explained Tamar Zandberg. “Governmental policy actions – local, national, and international – require agreement, support, and even public pressure for their implementation. This is the time for climate decision-makers to establish a series of actions that will reduce the ongoing damage to the environment and correct behavior-changing laws, as suggested in the survey.”