Public perceptions of climate tipping points

Coverage of climate tipping points has rapidly increased over the past 20 years. Despite this upsurge, there has been precious little research into how the public perceives these abrupt and/or irreversible large-scale risks. This article provides a nationally representative view on public perceptions of climate tipping points and possible societal responses to them (n = 1773). Developing a mixed-methods survey with cultural cognition theory, it shows that awareness among the British public is low. The public is doubtful about the future effectiveness of humanity's response to climate change in general, and significantly more doubtful about its response to tipping points specifically. Significantly more people with an egalitarian worldview judge tipping points likely to be crossed and to be a significant threat to humanity. All possible societal responses received strong support. The article ends by considering the prospects for 'cultural tipping elements' to tip support for climate policies across divergent cultural worldviews.

Automated summary

Coverage of climate tipping points has increased significantly in the past two decades. However, there has been limited research on how the general public perceives these risks and their societal responses. This article presents a nationally representative study on public perceptions of climate tipping points in the UK, revealing low awareness and skepticism about the effectiveness of climate change response and tipping point response. Individuals with an egalitarian worldview tend to view tipping points as more likely and threatening. The article also discusses the potential impact of cultural factors on support for climate policies among different worldviews.