|
20 February 2007
Bangkok
Unprecedented warm winters, prolonged summers, rainstorms at an unexpected time of the year… climate change is drawing global attention like never before. 98 percent of Thai internet users are aware of the issue, the highest in Asia Pacific, and 73 percent consider it “a very serious problem”, according to the latest global online survey conducted by ACNielsen, the world’s leading market research and information provider.
The ACNielsen Online Consumer Opinion Survey, the largest half-yearly survey of its kind, was conducted in late October/early November, 2006, surveying 25,408 internet users in 46 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, the Baltic and Middle East.
Thai consumers ranked among world’s top ten in awareness of global warming
Leading the world in awareness of global warming is the Czech Republic, where 99 percent of on-line users said that they had heard or read something about the issue. Closely following, on 98%, were Thailand ,China, Portugal and Russia.” ( Table 1.1)
In Asia Pacific, Consumers in Thailand ( 98%), China ( 98%) and Korea (96%) are most aware of global warming ( Table 1.2 )
Across the world, Latin Americans are the most likely to have heard of global warming (96%) and North Americans are the least likely (84%), but awareness is high in all continents, with a global average of 91 percent. ( Table 1.3 )
The three lowest countries in terms of awareness were the UAE, where 16 percent of respondents said that they had not heard of global warming, followed by the US (13%) and Malaysia (11%).
Ms.Chantira Luesakul, Managing Director of ACNielsen (Thailand), a division of The Nielsen Company says “These high awareness levels reflect the increasing media coverage of global warming since we have heard about the hottest summer in Europe in 2003 which resulted in an estimated 35,000 deaths. In Thailand we have actually experienced the unexpected rainfalls, rainstorm, flood, prolonged summer and long winter in the past years“
Is global warming a serious issue?
In Thailand, 73 percent of consumers consider global warming a very serious problem, the second highest across Asia Pacific following The Philippines (76%). ( Table 2.1)
“Leading the world in seeing global warming as a very serious problem are Brazil (81%), France (80%) and Portugal (78%),.
Worldwide 57 percent of respondents feel that global warming is a very serious problem, with a further 34 percent who see it as “fairly serious”. ( Table 2.2 )
“What’s worrying is that there is a high level of awareness among consumers globally with nine out of 10 people said they know about global warming, the level of concern towards this issue however remains low. There is only over half of them ( 57%) consider it a “very serious problem “ said Chantira
People in Latin America are aware of the phenomenon so much so that the region leads the world in seeing global warming as a very serious problem. While in North America, in line with the relatively low awareness, consumers are less likely than those in other areas to see global warming as a serious problem (43%).
What’s causing global warming?
Across the world there is a strong consensus that human activities like vehicle emissions and the burning of fossil fuels contribute to global warming. Worldwide, 50 percent of respondents cite human activities alone as a contributing factor, and another 43 percent mention both human activities and natural climate changes together as factors. ( Table 3.1)
Similarly, almost half of Thai consumers ( 48%) said global warming is a result of human actions and half of them ( 50%) believe it’s combination of both natural changes in the climate and human activities ( Table 3.2)
“It is very clear that respondents link global warming with traffic and the burning of fossil fuels, “said Chantira. “A significant proportion also mentions natural climate change, but very few consumers see it as a natural phenomenon only. These findings will add weight to those who are pressing for meaningful cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.”
Again, Latin America leads the way in feeling that human activities alone are the cause of global warming (62%). And North America is less likely than other continents to see human activities alone as the main cause. Respondents in North America are the most likely of any worldwide to see global warming as at least partly a natural phenomenon (66%).
China (73%) and Brazil (70%) are the countries where people surveyed are most likely to see global warming caused solely by human activities.
Across Asia Pacific, 58 percent of respondents feel global warming is caused solely by human activities. Another 38 percent feel that it is caused by both human and natural causes.
China (73%), Korea (63%) and Hong Kong (59%) are most likely to see global warming as caused by human activities,
“It is great that people relate global warming to human actions so we can all start thinking what we could have done better in our daily lives and contribute to the protection of the environment,“said Chantira
About ACNielsen
ACNielsen is the world’s leading marketing information provider. Offering services in more than 100 countries, the unit provides measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics and consumer attitudes and behavior. Clients rely on ACNielsen’s market research, proprietary products, analytical tools and professional service to understand competitive performance, to uncover new opportunities and to raise the profitability of their marketing and sales campaigns. ACNielsen’s Global Services provides clients with multi-country information and insight in a consistent, harmonized approach around the world.
About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research). The privately held company has more than 42,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.
Back to Top
|
