Understanding fluctuating climate change risk perceptions through the lens of trust: a study of Great Barrier Reef region residents
Public perceptions of climate change risks are fundamental to public support for climate action. From a decade of surveying residents in the Great Barrier Reef region (2013–2023; n = 9920), we found that climate risk perceptions have fluctuated markedly, with shifts mainly occurring at the extremes of the belief–denialism spectrum. Along with a trend of decreasing belief and increasing denialism, trust in scientists strengthened in its predictive potential over time.
Authors
- Petina L. Pert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7738-7691)
- Matt Curnock (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2365-810X)
- Michelle Dyer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7291-5339)
- Elizabeth V. Hobman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2011-7279)
- Emilee Chamberland
- Cindy Huchery
- Aditi Mankad
Institutions
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (AU)
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (AU)
- Queensland Department of Environment and Science (AU)
- James Cook University (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Climate Action
- Published
- 2026-01-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s44168-026-00334-w
- Primary Topic
- Climate Change Communication and Perception
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
- Australian Government
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
- Queensland Government