Public Awareness about Global Warming in Hyderabad, India

This study addressed public perceptions and awareness about global warming in India through a survey of 851 subjects in the city of Hyderabad in the year 2007. A stratified sample of nine segments of society showed that, although people consider global warming a serious problem, they do not clearly understand its causes, impacts, and solutions. The data analyses using paired T-tests indicated differences in levels of awareness about global warming, across age and education. ANOVA and regression analysis suggested that levels of awareness among respondents varied according to their occupation. The degree of seriousness with which subjects viewed global warming influenced the degree of their support for eco-friendly initiatives. The level of education of subjects was correlated with variations in their perceptions about global warming and support for environmentally friendly initiatives. However, subjects associated global warming with the issue of air pollution. They showed a tendency to advocate action by society and government rather than by individual initiatives to address the problem. Based on these findings, policy makers can tailor awareness initiatives, highlighting the seriousness of the problem and the measures that could be taken at the individual level