Concern about the environment rose while the bushfires of 2019-2020 burned. Nearly half of those surveyed reported aspects of the environment as the most or second most important issue facing Australia, a figure up 8% from October 2019. Concern about specific issues such as biodiversity loss rose, as well as the number of people feeling global warming will have a specific effect on them.
There’s been a very large increase in the number of people for whom global warming is a very or fairly serious threat with 72% agreeing in January 2020, up from 56% of respondents in 2008.
Almost two thirds of those adult respondents to the ANU Poll living in non capital cities think global warming will be a threat to them.
Concern about most specific issues increased between 2008 and January 2020, with the greatest increase a 13% rise in concern about loss of native vegetation, animal species or biodiversity.
Support for new coal mines declined between the May 2019 election and January 2020 from 45% to 37% although this was not driven by exposure to bushfires.