- About six in 10 South Africans (61%) say they have heard of the phenomenon of climate change, a 20-percentage-point increase compared to 2018 (41%) (Figure 1).
- Among citizens who are aware of climate change: o Eight in 10 (79%) think it is making life in South Africa worse, including 44% who say it is making life in the country “much worse” (Figure 2). o A slim majority (53%) see human activity as primarily responsible for causing climate change. Roughly one-quarter (27%) blame natural processes, while 16% think climate change is caused by a combination of human activity and natural processes (Figure 3). o Half (51%) of respondents say the people, businesses, and governments in other parts of the world are most responsible for causing climate change, while 40% say the people, businesses, and government of South Africa are to blame (Figure 4). o Fully two-thirds (66%) of respondents say the government must act now to limit climate change, “even if it is expensive or causes some job losses or other harm to our economy,” while an even larger majority (77%) say that rich or developed nations should take steps now to fight climate change, “even if it is costly for those countries.” And 82% call for rich countries to provide climate aid to South Africa to adapt and respond to the negative impacts of climate change.
Among six in 10 South Africans who are aware of climate change, majorities are united in calling for immediate action from their government and developed countries to limit its effects, a new Afrobarometer survey reveals.
Released ahead of the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (known as COP30) in Brazil (10-21 November), the study shows that most of those who are familiar with climate change see human activity as a major cause and say it is making life in South Africa worse. About half think the people, businesses, and governments in other parts of the world are most responsible for causing climate change.
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