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.
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It’s disheartening to think of people who believe in the misinformation or that climates change is not that serious. I dread another wildfire season this summer. How can anyone doubt climate change when we’re inhaling it?!
It is disheartening, Ab. People are dismissive and say, “But we’ve always had wildfires.” Well, I’ve lived in southern Ontario for 53 years, and I don’t remember us being affected by wildfire smoke until three years ago. The evidence is everywhere, yet people choose to ignore it. I think we just need to keep talking and advocating in whatever way we can. 💚
I think there are two main issues affecting climate change, and you mentioned one of them: the technical language that scientists sometimes use. They need to present real data, which is available; we just need to look at how quickly the polar ice caps are disappearing, and turn that into talking points that people can actually understand. When they start saying things like, “Well, we are not completely sure” or “We are still collecting data,” along with other vague comments, they diminish the impact of their communication. Scientists need to present the data with authority.
The other issue is selfishness. Many politicians and leaders don’t care what will happen 50 or 100 years from now. Their rationale is that they will be dead, so they might as well make all the money now and let future generations deal with the consequences. It’s like Social Security in the U.S., they keep kicking the can down the road and hoping for the best.
I think climate change is real, and we saw it during the COVID pandemic: the environment improved once travel restrictions were in place.
That’s an excellent point about the short-term thinking of politicians, Edward. Sadly, many of them enact policies that don’t consider anything beyond the next election cycle. Yet, many of them have children and grandchildren but their greed and selfishness prevents them from considering the world they are leaving for the next generation.
There were so many lessons to be learned from the pandemic, but we rushed right back into “normal” life when it was over with little to no thought.
Absolutely, and sadly, some of those children are becoming adults and pursuing the same destructive policies as their parents.
We are definitely back to doing worse things after the pandemic. Part of that is due to our illustrious leader, who has put world leaders in panic mode, forcing them to find ways to become self-sufficient and abandon environmental considerations to protect their countries from the U.S. sphere of influence. The horrible trend now is that everyone wants a nuclear weapon. We are in very dangerous territory.
What’s happening around the world truly is frightening, Edward. That’s exactly what’s dominating the political landscape in Canada. It’s all about trade, tariffs, the economy, and defending our sovereignty as a country against the barrage of insults and threats coming at us from south of the border. It’s draining and unsettling, and so unnecessary.
Unnecessary, indeed. This country is supposed to lead and promote unity, but I’m not even sure what we’re doing anymore.
I hear you! What a thoughtful and timely post, Michelle. With all the awful stuff occurring in the world…esp the nonsense initiated by the inept leaders in my own country, I worry we’re missing the big picture about the environment…the damage, the urgency. Nice to see some glimmers of hope in what you’ve shared. ❤️
Thanks, Vicki. It’s a shame that environmental issues have been pushed to the back burner because of everything going on in the world. A big part of me thinks much of the current nonsense is intentional noise to cover up and distract the public from issues closer to home.
I did find the study encouraging and hope our Canadian politicians are listening when people say they want them to take action on environmental issues.
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Amen! Agree with you about the intentional — and destructive — distractions. Appreciate you, my friend! ❤️😉❤️
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Great points, Michelle! I would add that I think the issue is climate change talk to too black and white. The truth is likely more nuanced. Have humans contributed to climate change? Absolutely! Does the earth’s history include evidence of rapid climate change events? Absolutely! I would love if we taught people both about the environmental effects of greenhouse gasses and also natural events like the Younger Dryas period in which climate change took place without human life.
That’s a great point, Erin. I think part of the problem is that “climate change” has become taboo and we no longer feel comfortable talking about it. But the only way to deal with any challenge is to learn and discuss, which is more challenging when much of the scientific evidence is suppressed.
Yes, that’s so true. It’s become taboo and few are comfortable talking about it at all. It’s tough…
I am happy to hear that Canadians still care about climate change. I thought that somehow this topic was forgotten because of other priorities in the political agenda. I am not sure that Europeans remember all the challenges posed by the climate. It would be worth launching the same kind of survey.
It was a very interesting survey and I found the results encouraging. There’s so much going on in the world right now, and I understand why people are focusing on more pressing issues like wars and trade. But we still need to care for the planet that sustains us.