New interactive map provides local and regional climate opinions in India

India is the most populous country in the world and is among the top 10 greenhouse gas emitters, with most emissions stemming from energy production, manufacturing, and agriculture. Yet there has been little information about the diversity of climate opinions and response to climate change within the country.

A new interactive map by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) at the Yale School of Environment, in collaboration with CVoter, provides the first-ever estimates of public responses to climate change in 34 of India's 36 states and union territories and in 604 districts, depicting the variation in global warming knowledge, beliefs, risk perceptions, and policy preferences across the country at state and local levels.

"Understanding local climate opinions is a game-changer for policymakers. It allows them to implement effective climate solutions that have strong public support," said Jennifer Marlon, lead researcher for the opinion maps at the YPCCC.

Previous studies had provided results on a national level, but the newly released Yale Climate Opinion Maps for India shows that only 41% of Indians say they know a lot or something about climate, and there is substantial geographic variation within the country. In Gujarat, a state along the western coast, 52% of Indians know a lot or something about the issue, whereas in Maharashtra, a state in the western peninsular region, only 33% report this level of knowledge.

Since climate knowledge varies greatly across the country, this data can be used to determine where to focus climate communication initiatives, said Eric Fine, project manager at YPCCC

"When we first released the Yale Climate Opinion Maps for the United States in 2015, we had some ideas of how people might use them but could not have predicted many applications," said Fine. "The same holds true now in India. In the United States, governments, journalists, companies, educators, and advocates use the maps to determine whether, how, and where to talk about climate change or promote specific solutions."

The data underlying the maps come from national surveys of more than 6,500 respondents conducted between December 2021 and November 2023 as part of the Climate Change in the Indian Mind project.

Other key findings include:

• Across all of India's states and districts, there is a consistently high level of worry about global warming.
• Strong majorities in every district across India think global warming will cause more severe heat waves.
• Majorities in all but 16 districts think that India should use less fossil fuels in the future.

A better understanding of public climate change knowledge, beliefs, risk perceptions, and policy support can help decision-makers in India and beyond, Marlon said. As Indian states develop or update their respective State Action Plans on Climate Change and Net Zero targets, understanding and engaging the public will be critical to effectively implementing climate solutions.