Geo-demographics and source of information as determinants of climate change consciousness among citizens in African countries

Abstract

Climate change constitutes one of the greatest threats to human health globally and there have been increasing interests in understanding the dynamics of climate change consciousness particularly in less industrialised countries of Africa. Research on cross-country, sub-regional and continent differences in climate change consciousness are rare especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, to complement the existing body of literature, this study was conducted on cross-national predictors of public climate change consciousness. Data from the Afrobarometer round 7 for thirty-four [34] African countries, collected between 2017 and 2020, were used to investigate the influence of geographical, socio-demographics, and source of information on public consciousness of climate change. Statistical analyses of t-test, ANOVA and multiple regression were conducted to test the formulated hypotheses. Results showed a low level of climate change consciousness (CCC) among participants. Radio news was the major source of information for the sampled African citizens. There were significant differences in the CCC of male and female as well as between urban and rural respondents. Significant differences were also found among the sub-regions, educational levels, age groups and occupations. Sources of information and demographic variables significantly influenced the level of CCC among participating citizens. Educational attainment was the single most potent predictor of climate change consciousness. The study recommends that African citizens need capacity building on climate change awareness and initiatives which would assist in mitigating the effects of climate change.