Results of Climate Crisis Perception Survey Announced

Yuvam Dünya Derneği Turkey Climate Crisis Perception Research results for 2023 have been released. Conducted in cooperation with Konda Research and Consulting, with support from Birleşik Ödeme and Secure Future, the research—Turkey's most comprehensive climate crisis perception study—was prepared to assess society's knowledge levels, views and behaviors regarding climate change. According to the research conducted by Yuvam Dünya in October 2022 and the report concluded in January 2023, when people think of environmental problems, the issues that come to mind most are air pollution, environmental and nature pollution, and waste problems; three out of every four people think of 'pollution' issues. Like many other segments of society, nine out of every ten young people believe they should take individual responsibility regarding climate change. The events most linked to climate change this year include air pollution, increased disasters and a rise in unusual seasonal events. One of the questions asked for the first time in this year's research was the connection between health issues and various diseases with the climate crisis. According to the results, more than half of the public links the climate crisis to the spread of food and nutrition problems, the worsening of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and an increase in infections transmitted through water and vector-borne animals. Only two out of every ten people think the climate crisis will be related to accidents and injuries. Under the heading of vulnerability, the question of "the two events most likely to occur in the next two years and how much more they would struggle compared to others if these events occurred" was asked again this year. The situation that increased the most in percentage compared to the previous year is difficulty in accessing food. Three out of every ten people think they might have difficulty accessing food within two years. They feel less vulnerable compared to last year. The level of concern about climate change—how dangerous people find it for their own lives and future generations—was also among the research topics. Eight out of every ten people say they are concerned about climate change, nine out of every ten say climate change poses a danger to future generations, and seven out of every ten say climate change poses a danger to their own lives. Society believes future generations will be more affected by climate change. Turkey, as a party to the Paris Agreement, has climate targets that it must follow within the framework of the agreement. Within the scope of combating the climate crisis, the transformation that will take place in all sectors, particularly in agriculture, energy, tourism and transport sectors, is of great importance. Having individuals take responsibility in line with climate targets is another important area. According to the research, under the heading of responsibility, nine out of every ten people think they should take individual responsibility in solving climate change. The Yuvam Dünya Turkey Climate Crisis Perception Research, with field work conducted on 21-23 October 2022, was conducted through interviews with 2,215 people representing the adult population aged 15 and over in 327 districts, including the centers of 75 provinces in Turkey. Three percent of those whose views were included in the research were in the 15-17 age range, 33 percent were in the 18-32 age range, 32 percent were in the 33-48 age range and 32 percent were people aged 49 and over.

Yuvam Dünya Derneği Board Chair Kıvılcım Pınar Kocabıyık made the following comments on the research:

"Turkey is located in the Mediterranean Basin, one of the regions most affected by the climate crisis. Particularly in recent years, natural disasters such as forest fires, droughts, floods and inundations have increased, and the effects of this crisis have become more apparent in Turkey. Within the scope of the research, we see that our awareness is high, but on the other hand, those in society aware of the negative effects of the climate crisis have knowledge gaps about these effects and what they can do individually. As we have consistently emphasized at Yuvam Dünya Derneği, what will stop the climate crisis is a cultural transformation through a change in our perspective both individually and collectively. We can only achieve this transformation through broad-based social awareness and comprehensive communication. These ongoing studies help us as the best tools for understanding how the society we live in, people of different thoughts, ages and educational backgrounds, view the climate crisis."  

KONDA Research and Consulting General Director Bekir Ağırdır said the following about the research:

"Both our country's institutions and institutions and organizations around the world are unfortunately taking action more slowly than the growth rate of the climate crisis. Against this existential crisis facing the planet, both global policies and national institutions and rules are quite insufficient. I should also note that in recent times, the responsibilities placed on individuals to create climate crisis awareness are admittedly difficult to find fair. Despite this, the willingness of individuals to take precautions and change behavior is quite high."   Yuvam Dünya Derneği Science Board Chair Prof. Dr. Levent Kurnaz said, "What is evident in the report results is that, regrettably, a significant segment still believes that the effects of the climate crisis can be prevented through small measures and minor changes, and they expect others to make these changes. One of the most striking indicators of this is that those who answer 'Yes' to the question 'Should you take responsibility?' become hesitant when told 'Then make the following changes in your daily life to reduce the effects of the crisis.' The Yuvam Dünya Climate Crisis Perception Research clearly shows us which points we need to focus more on in our discourse and education, and which issues we need to emphasize more." he stated.