Over the last year, concerns about the economy and national sovereignty seem to have pushed climate change to the back burner in terms of issues Canadians care about. Do Canadians still care about climate change? A new report released in February suggests they do.

Based at Carleton University in Ottawa, Re.Climate is Canada’s source for training, research and strategy on climate change communications and public engagement. Their new report Canadians (Still) Care About Climate Change aims to close the perception gap on how Canadians feel about environmental issues.

The report is based on a national survey in September 2025 and focus groups conducted in November 2025.

Key findings from the report

Overall the report offers encouraging news and confirms that concern for the environment has not declined.

Here are some of the key findings:

• Nationally, 7 out of 10 feel pride in Canada becoming a renewable energy superpower. Even in oil-rich Alberta, 56% felt positive about the future of renewable energy.
• Two-thirds (65%) of Canadians want leaders to keep their promises on climate change.
• Three-quarters of us are concerned about climate change and feel it will harm future generations. Even so, three-quarters felt optimistic that it is still possible to reverse its consequences.
• Nearly 7 in 10 believe that if we all do our part, we can tackle the causes of climate change.

It’s not all good news, though. Misinformation is concerning.

• Over one-third of Canadians believe the effects of climate change are seriously exaggerated. And one in five believe climate change is a hoax.
• Individuals age 60 and over are least likely to feel the effects are exaggerated or that climate change is a hoax.
• Males and people in the 30 to 44 age-group are more inclined than the rest of the population to say climate change is a hoax.

Effective ways to communicate the message

The study also tested different types of messaging to find out which messages resonated most. In general, people prefer messages that are optimistic, non-technical and future-oriented.

For example, regarding the transition to green energy, Canadians respond better to messages that speak of abundance and choice rather than the negative effects of the oil and gas industry. Messages that spoke of the inevitability of the transition to green energy were received negatively.

People think they care more than others

One of the most interesting findings from the study is the perception gap between how much people care and think about climate change, and how much they think the general population and their neighbours do the same.

The 42% of Canadians surveyed who say they think about climate change at least once a week, believe only 32% of the general population and 26% of their neighbours think about climate change as often as they do.

Social proof plays an important role in determining how people behave and react to what they see around them. When uncertain of what to think and do, people tend to take cues from what others are doing. But the survey results confirm that our information is usually incomplete, and what we believe to be the norm may not reflect the majority.

Thinking that people care less about an issue than we do makes us reluctant to talk about it. We need to keep talking about climate change so it doesn’t get shoved to the back-burner and forgotten. Knowing that others do care should help us feel more confident in having conversations about the environment.

We’re living in difficult times and there are many challenges facing our nation and our world. These survey results give me comfort that I’m not alone in caring about climate change.

We need to keep talking. Visit Tips for productive climate conversations for dos and don’ts when discussing divisive or contentious issues with people who hold different views.

Do any of these survey results surprise you? Drop me a comment below and let me know.