The Climate Change News Audience Report 2025, based on an online survey of more than 8,000 respondents in Brazil, France, Germany, India, Japan, Pakistan, the UK, and the USA, finds that just 47% of people encountered climate-change news in the previous week. The survey was conducted by Ipsos from 26 September to 14 October 2025 and reflects each country’s online population.
While concern about climate impacts remains high, the authors warn of a “growing disconnect” between public interest and exposure to climate journalism — with European countries showing the sharpest declines.
Weekly climate-news contact has fallen consistently in France, Germany, the UK, and the USA since 2022, while remaining steadier in Brazil, India, and Pakistan.
France: down from 50% to 35% in three years
USA: down from 46% to 35%
UK: down from 46% to 39%
These trends are charted in Figure 1 of the report. The declines are especially pronounced among Europeans aged 55+, whose weekly exposure to climate news has fallen by 10 points since 2022.
Despite shrinking exposure, interest in climate reporting remains strong across Europe: around three-quarters of respondents say they are at least “somewhat interested,” though interest has dipped slightly in France and Germany.
Across all eight countries, scientists (71%) are by far the most trusted sources of climate information (Figure 8). Trust in the news media is more divided:
Germany: 41%
France: 36%
UK: 44%
USA: 43%
Pakistan: notably higher at 72% (Figure 7)
Political leadership is viewed even more sceptically. On average, only 35% of respondents are confident their leaders have the right climate priorities, with France, Germany, and Japan among the least confident countries (Figure 9). India is the only country where confidence in leaders rises above 50%.
The report also highlights a widening ideological divide: those on the political right are significantly more likely to trust political leaders on climate than those on the left (Figure 11). Age shows the opposite pattern: younger Europeans are more confident in leadership than older adults.
Television remains the most common source of climate information, but its influence is waning. In 2025:
25% saw climate news on TV in the past week (down from 31% in 2022)
23% encountered it on online news sites/apps
16% saw it on social media (Figure 3)
Because older Europeans rely heavily on TV, the medium’s declining coverage disproportionately reduces their exposure to climate information.
Across all countries, people say climate journalism should primarily update (81%) and educate (80%) them, but they also want perspective, practical guidance, and stories that show meaningful solutions. Yet audiences feel these deeper needs — especially “Inspire me” and “Give me perspective” — are not being met, with the largest gaps in France, the UK, the USA and Brazil (Chapter 4).
The report finds Europeans increasingly judge climate journalism by its ability to link global issues to local realities — such as heatwaves, floods or soaring insurance costs — rather than by abstract coverage of distant negotiations.
AI is viewed cautiously, with Europeans more sceptical than South Asian respondents
When asked whether AI will help tackle climate change, views across the eight countries are mixed:
Beneficial: 35%
Harmful: 26%
Neither: 22%
Don’t know: 17%
Optimism is highest in Pakistan and India; Europeans, especially in France, are much more sceptical. Younger respondents are more positive about AI’s climate role, but they also want clearer media explanations of its risks and benefits.
The report concludes that the decline in weekly climate-news use in Europe comes at a dangerous moment: climate impacts are accelerating, but the supply of accessible, solutions-focused, locally relevant journalism is not keeping pace.
For newsrooms, the authors warn, the challenge is not only to inform but to engage, bridging a growing gap between public interest and public attention. Rising expectations of the media — combined with low confidence in political leadership — mean European audiences are looking for climate reporting that is more contextual, more accountable, and more directly connected to everyday life.
