A new poll of 15 nations, most of them in the developing world, finds that majorities of the people canvassed want their governments to take steps to fight climate change, even if that entails costs. People signaled they would support public measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions and step up adaptation measures. For example, respondents would support higher fuel efficiency standards for cars, preserving or expanding forests, and extending funding to vulnerable countries so they can develop hardier crops suited to more severe climates.

The poll was commissioned by the World Bank’s World Development Report 2010 on Climate Change and Development. The poll is the first to specifically target developing countries and ask a comprehensive set of questions regarding climate policy. Its aim is to provide the public in developing countries with an avenue to make their voices heard in a debate often dominated by developed countries’ views, and give decision makers a tool to assess the state of public views on climate change in their countries. Polling was conducted among 13,518 respondents in 15 nations—Bangladesh, China, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Russia, Senegal, Turkey, the United States, and Vietnam. The link below presents the full findings.

Report | Press release