Key Takeaways
- Strong public momentum in the Global South: People in many Global South countries express both high support for environmentally friendly development and a willingness to make personal sacrifices, highlighting a valuable foundation for ambitious climate action.
- Different starting points, shared goals: In the Global North, enthusiasm for green progress is often tempered by lower willingness to make personal trade-offs. This suggests a need for strategies that make sustainable choices more accessible, attractive, and aligned with local values.
- Tailored approaches for global progress: Accelerating the green transition requires recognizing regional differences in public attitudes. Where support and commitment are high, there is an opportunity to build on that momentum. Elsewhere, enabling change may depend more on removing barriers and fostering aspiration.
GlobeScan’s Societal Shift project explores how societies around the world are responding to the sustainability transition. The latest report offers fresh global insights into public attitudes toward sustainability, collective action, and how we can enable the transition to a more sustainable and equitable future.
The research highlights how values and actions align differently across regions. In the Global South, people not only express strong support for environmentally friendly development but also show a high willingness to make personal sacrifices to achieve it. Countries such as Kenya, Colombia, Peru, Vietnam, Nigeria, India, Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa, and Brazil stand out for their strong support for a greener future and high willingness to make sacrifices to achieve it. In contrast, enthusiasm for green progress often stops short of personal trade-offs in the Global North, reflecting a more cautious, comfort-driven approach. Many countries in the Global North, including the USA, UK, France, Germany, Japan, and Australia, fall into the quadrant of lower support and lower willingness to sacrifice, signaling a need for different engagement strategies.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Accelerating the global green transition requires recognizing these regional dynamics. Tailored strategies that reflect local motivations and realities will be essential to drive meaningful climate action worldwide. In the Global North, the challenge is to make sustainable choices easier, more affordable, and more aspirational. In the Global South, there is instead clear momentum for ambitious change and a readiness to act. The strong correlation between support and willingness to sacrifice in the Global South signals that these countries have the social foundation needed to drive progress if other conditions (economical, political, structural) permit. In the words of Christiana Figueres: “The world is no longer waiting for Washington. This time the Global South is leading the way.”
About the Research: The Societal Shift project is part of GlobeScan’s Profit for Purpose Program, through which we commit 10% of our annual net income to initiatives that advance a more sustainable and equitable future. Our latest report explores how societies around the world are responding to the sustainability transition.
Survey Question: Creating a more environmentally friendly country would mean more efficient use of natural resources, lower carbon emissions, and preserving nature. This would require changes in government policy, the way companies operate, and individual lifestyles. Do you support or oppose this transition? As you may know, it is possible that the transition to an environmentally friendly country may have some negative impacts on your quality of life in the short term. How much would you be willing to sacrifice to make this transition possible?
Countries surveyed: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Egypt,France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Türkiye, UK, USA, and Vietnam.
