Epson, a world leader in digital imaging and printing solutions, published its first Climate Reality Barometer in 2021: a survey of people from a diverse set of countries, ages and backgrounds to gauge understanding of, and attitudes towards, climate change.

Epson today released the findings of its second Climate Reality Barometer – 2022, a survey of 26,205 people across 28 countries, including India. Across the world, people are stepping up personal efforts to avert climate change, according to the latest findings.  Research from the global technology leader suggests that while the world economy proves to be a distraction from efforts to address climate challenges, climate change remains a primary concern for many.

 The survey presents fascinating insights into how attitudes are (and are not) changing as the climate crisis unfolds. Findings show that awareness is growing – but slowly and inconsistently. While the ‘climate reality deficit’ identified in the first Barometer stubbornly persists – the data also suggests that it is narrowing, and that people are doing more to tackle the crisis.

In India however, the outlook remains extremely concerning.  In recent months, India has experienced record-breaking heatwaves, which have been made 100 times more likely by the climate crisis, according to experts (source).

• Despite this, over three-fourths (78.3%) of people contacted in India are optimistic that we will avert a climate disaster in their lifetime. Respondents in other countries are far less optimistic with the opposite end of the spectrum being in France (22.5%) and Japan (10.4%)
• On the other hand, 10.8% were pessimistic in India that we will avert a climate disaster in their lifetime. In France, a whopping 53.5% and in Japan 67.4% were unconvinced in contrast
• Over a third (39.2%) of the people surveyed in India as part of the Epson Climate Reality Barometer, believe rising prices and fixing the economy are the most urgent issues governments, companies and people around the world should be focusing on, only 21.1% see climate change as the most pressing issue. In contrast, 37.3% of respondents in China see climate change as the most pressing issue
• In India younger respondents aged 25-34 (82.4%) were more optimistic than those aged 45-54 (68.1%) pointing to a possible and concerning lack of awareness among younger audiences