On the occasion of conducting the COP27 in Egypt from November 6-18, 2022, the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research (Baseera) conducted a public opinion poll to measure Egyptians' knowledge of climate change issues and their perceptions of its causes and consequences. This poll is of particular importance in light of the role that public opinion plays in the success of public policies related to climate change. The results of the poll were presented in a session held within the activities of the Cop27, entitled "Egyptians and Climate Change: Knowledge and Perceptions".

The first round of the poll that has been conducted in August 2022 indicated that 69% of Egyptians had not heard of the term “climate change” before, while only 31% had heard of it. The percentage of those who had not heard of the term “climate change” dropped to 65% in the second round, which was conducted After the launch of the media campaign. It is noticeable that knowledge of climate change was limited among the less educated.

Respondents were asked in the first round of the poll about the changes they notice in Egypt's climate. Around 84% said that the summer became hotter, 59% said that the summer became longer, 78% indicated that the winter became colder, and 47% indicated that the winter became longer.

As for the causes of climate change, the results show that about two-thirds of Egyptians do not know the causes of climate change. When asked about some behaviors and consumption patterns to explore whether they know they affect climate change, the results showed that 45% are not sure of the impact of the increased consumption of electricity or believe that it does not affect climate change, 30% are not sure of the effect of cars exhaust or believe that it does not affect climate change, and 23% are not sure of the effect of burning garbage and waste or believe that it is does not affect climate change. These results indicate the need to increase citizens’ awareness about climate change and its causes.

With regard to the risks and consequences of climate change, the results indicate that 66% of Egyptians believe that climate change will affect the future of life in Egypt, while 17% believe that it will not affect it and 17% answered that they don’t know.

Knowledge of the effects of climate change on agricultural crops is the most widespread among Egyptians as 80% of the respondents answered that climate change will affect the productivity of agricultural land in Egypt and the availability of some crops. Next comes the impact of climate change on drinking water, as 58% of Egyptians believe that climate change will affect its availability, while most Egyptians do not realize that climate change will lead to the damage of Egypt Delta, as only 38% believe that this will happen, while 37% answered that they are not sure, and 25% answered that climate change will not lead to the damage of the Delta.

Around 47% of Egyptians indicated that climate change has actually affected their lives, while 47% answered that it did not, and 6% answered that they could not specify. Regarding the nature of the impact on the lives of those who answered that they were affected, 34% indicated that they contracted diseases as a result of climate change, and 19% indicated that their productivity at work decreased as a result of the high temperatures in summer and extreme cold in winter, and 15% indicated that climate change led to their feeling Frequent fatigue, 11% indicated that they were unable to live normally, and 11% answered that they were unable to leave the house often due to the temperature.

The results showed that people with disabilities suffer more than others from climate change, as the percentage of people with disabilities who answered that their lives have been affected by climate change reached 53%. Respondents with a hearing disability indicated that the lack of sign language translation in most media programs and content prevents them from obtaining sufficient information about climate change.

 

Survey methodology:

In accordance with the principle of transparency and commitment to the ethics of publishing polls, Baseera Center discloses the methodology of it conducted survey as follows:

The survey was conducted using a landline phones and mobile phones on a sample of 3056 Egyptians, in the age group of 15 years or above, covering all the governorates of Egypt. The interviews were conducted during the period from 2 to 11 August, 2022. The response rate was about 37%, with a margin of error less than 3%. The second round of the survey was conducted in November 2022 using the same methodology.

The poll was conducted in for the ministry of environment and funded by the United Nations.

For more details on the results and methodology used or for a graphical presentation of the results, please visit Baseera website www.baseera.com.eg

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The knowledge and perceptions of Egyptians towards climate change