This study examines the factors influencing climate change policy implementation, focusing on the interactions among climate change awareness, risk perception, and policy support. Based on the climate–society model of Moore et al.(2022), regression ...
This study examines the factors influencing climate change policy implementation, focusing on the interactions among climate change awareness, risk perception, and policy support. Based on the climate–society model of Moore et al.(2022), regression and mediation analyses were conducted using data from the International Public Opinion on Climate Change 2022 and 2023 reports of YPCCC and the 2022 and 2024 Environmental Performance Index. In particular, the more detailed policy support questions available in the 2022 dataset were analyzed separately. To further explore the interaction between awareness, risk perception, and policy support, the study empirically investigated how differences in awareness and risk perception affect policy support, classifying countries into four types—“indifferent,” “passive,” “anxious,” and “proactive”—and examining their respective impacts through regression analysis. Additionally, drawing on a cyclical perspective on the effects of climate change impacts and prior research, the study tested how policy performance and climate vulnerability influence climate change awareness and risk perception. Finally, per capita greenhouse gas emissions and climate vulnerability data from 2022 and 2023 were reviewed to assess issues of climate inequality.
The findings are as follows. First, the single-year analysis of 2022 confirmed that climate change awareness positively influences policy performance through risk perception and policy support, consistent with Moore et al.(2022). However, the multi-year analysis using 2022 and 2023 data did not confirm multiple mediation effects, diverging from Moore et al(2022).’s claims. This highlights the complex interrelationships among climate change awareness, risk perception, and policy support, and underscores the critical role of policy support in achieving policy outcomes.
Second, regarding specific policy measures, both climate change awareness and risk perception significantly influenced policy support for expanding renewable energy. In contrast, while climate change awareness affected climate change risk perception, climate change risk perception itself did not significantly influence policy support for reducing fossil fuel use, suggesting the need to account for diverse national contexts in policy design.
Third, cluster analysis revealed four types—'indifferent', 'passive', 'anxious', and 'proactive'—each showing distinct characteristics in terms of disaster damage and economic level, as well as differing impacts on policy support.
Fourth, in analyzing cyclical effects, policy performance affects climate change awareness slightly, but not significantly affect or risk perception. While climate vulnerability indicator showed a negative relationship with climate change awareness and a positive relationship with climate change risk perception. This suggests that the long-term nature of climate change creates a time lag before its effects are perceived, making it difficult for awareness, risk perception, and policy support to translate directly into tangible outcomes.
Finally, the review of per capita CO₂emissions and climate vulnerability data confirmed that a significant number of countries classified as developing under the Paris Agreement are among the top greenhouse gas emitters. This underscores the need to consider fairness in emission reduction targets and climate finance burdens between developed and developing countries.