Accepting anthropogenic climate change in Nordic countries, the USA and Australia

International Social Survey Program data from the 2020 Environment Module are analysed to compare acceptance of anthropogenic climate change (ACC) in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the USA. The ISSP data indicate that approximately 50 per cent of Australians Danes and Americans accept ACC is occurring, compared to 60 per cent or more among citizens of other Nordic countries.

Logistic regression analyses show that after controlling for social background variables, gender differences were apparent only for Finland, Norway and the USA, where women were more likely than men to accept ACC is occurring. Recognition that climate change has mainly human causes tends to decline with age in Australia and in most Nordic countries. The exceptions were Finland and the United States where no age-related differences were found. Tertiary education is a positive correlate of agreeing with the scientific consensus on ACC in all countries, while secular respondents are more likely than those affiliated with religious affiliations to agree ACC is occurring, although not in Denmark, Finland, or Sweden. Voting for political parties on the left of the political spectrum is also a positive correlate of accepting ACC for all countries except the United States, where leftwing parties are hard to find. The association between left party voting and acceptance of ACC is somewhat stronger in Australia than it is in most Nordic countries.

However, our analyses show that after controlling for social background, citizens of Nordic countries (except Denmark) and American citizens are more likely than Australians to accept that climate change has anthropogenic causes. Implications of these findings will be discussed.