Now in its fourth edition, this report examines how people across eight countries — Brazil, France, Germany, India, Japan, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and the United States — engage with climate change news and information. Drawing on online survey data collected by Ipsos in late 2025, it tracks four years of comparable data on climate news consumption trends, trust in sources, and public attitudes, while introducing new themes including public evaluations of political leadership on climate change, audience needs for climate news coverage, and perceptions of artificial intelligence’s environmental impact.
- Climate news consumption: Weekly climate news use has declined in France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the USA, driven largely by reduced television coverage and falling engagement among older audiences (45+), while remaining stable in Brazil, India, and Pakistan. Interest in climate news remains high and broadly stable across most countries.
- Political leadership: Confidence in political leaders on climate change is low overall (around one in three respondents), with higher confidence in India and lower confidence in France, Germany, and Japan. Majorities in all countries except France believe their leaders bear greater responsibility to act on climate change.
- Artificial intelligence: Around one third of respondents believe AI will be beneficial for tackling climate change, while about a quarter see it as harmful; uncertainty is high. Optimism is strongest in India and Pakistan, scepticism highest in France. Only about one in three think the media do a good job covering AI’s environmental impact.
- User needs and journalistic roles: Audiences prioritise climate news that updates and educates them, yet gaps remain between expectations and perceived media performance — particularly for news that inspires hope and offers diverse perspectives. Over 80% consider climate journalism roles (educator, watchdog, advocate) important, but far fewer rate media performance in fulfilling them as good.