Fossil fuel reliance and public support for climate change mitigation: evidence from 105 countries

Fossil fuel reliant countries contribute disproportionately to climate change, yet little is known about how nations’ fossil fuel reliance relates to public support for climate change mitigation. A large cross-national study (N = 101,956) across 105 countries and six continents showed that citizens of nations with greater fossil fuel reliance were less likely to believe that climate change should be a priority for their government, more supportive of continued fossil fuel use, and less supportive of increased renewable energy use. These associations remained significant after controlling for a wide set of country-level indicators, including fossil fuel consumption, economic development, democratic governance, corruption, and climate vulnerability, as well as demographic characteristics. Overall, these findings show that fossil fuel reliance is linked to reduced support for climate change mitigation. They also point to the need for a transition that acknowledges citizens’ concerns about phasing out fossil fuels in fossil fuel reliant societies.