New Delhi: Health-related messaging on climate change is two times more effective in shifting public attitudes as compared to non-health messages, says a new study by Wellcome Trust and CORE. Released on 30 April, the study conducted trials across four countries, Brazil, India, Japan, and South Africa, surveying over 30,000 persons. The study focused on how people understand and respond to climate change and action.
“The data is clear, when the public finds out how the climate is harming our health, they want the government to do more,” said Dustin Gilbreath, lead researcher of the survey and Senior Analyst at CORE, in a press release.
Climate Opinion Research Exchange (CORE) is a UK-based platform that researches public opinion related to climate change. In the study titled “Climate-Health Messages Build Support for Climate Action”, funded by the UK-based Wellcome Trust, researchers wanted to understand how the health effects of climate change events like air pollution, heatwaves, droughts, and even the spread of diseases are viewed by the public, and whether it increases support for climate action by governments.
The study is based on a randomised control trial (RCT) with 30,000 respondents, meaning that people were divided at random into two groups: the intervention group, which received 12 different kinds of health-related messaging, and a control group that received no messaging.
Around 80 per cent of the public across all four countries said that they were concerned about climate change, and around 75 per cent added that they were aware of its health impacts.
But one thing was clear: Messaging focused on health impacts was twice as likely to “shift people’s attitudes towards climate policy action” as opposed to the alternative.
Moreover, the study found that different kinds of health-messaging resonated strongly with people in different countries, indicating that there are local differences in priorities for health.
In India, air pollution was the subject that was the highest priority for citizens, followed by proper access to healthcare. The study explained how extreme weather events can damage existing health infrastructure, increasing the burden on citizens to access hospitals and other medical institutions.
Meanwhile in Brazil, the messages related to climate change’s impact on mental health are what resonated the most with citizens, and around 79 per cent of the people surveyed said that they want the government to dop more to fight climate change.
“The strains that the climate crisis can have on an individual are varied, from the psychological impacts of extreme heat to the stress and anxiety caused by the loss of livelihoods and the resulting inability to provide for one’s family,” the report said.
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Different kinds of health messaging
The study included 16 different kinds of climate-change-related messaging, 12 on health and four on non-health metrics.
The health-related messages included the impact of climate change on general health, heat and healthcare, air pollution, mental health, senior citizens’ health, as well as food and water insecurity and access to healthcare.
Meanwhile, non-health-focused messaging spoke about the impact of climate change on nature, on future generations, jobs and the economy. Out of all four countries surveyed, India was the only country where a non-health message was one of the top three priorities—jobs and the economy.
“Messaging surrounding jobs and the economy, a non-health message, resonates as much with the public as access to healthcare. This suggests that learning about the climate crisis’s impact on job security can deepen concern among Indian audiences,” the study read.
In Japan, the greatest concern is the impact of climate change on heat and increasing climate-related heatwaves in the country. The country has, over the past few years, experienced record-breaking heatwaves which especially affected the ageing population of Japan. A report by CNN last year said that over 90,000 people in the country had to be hospitalised due to heatwaves between May and August 2025.
Around 79 per cent of the public surveyed in Japan, therefore, believes the government should invest in public buildings that can be used during heatwaves and other extreme weather events.
Meanwhile, in South Africa, the highest priority for citizens is children’s health and how climate change impacts it. From heatwaves and extreme weather events to droughts and the resulting food insecurity, the report explained how children are one of the most vulnerable groups when it comes to suffering the health impacts of climate change.
In South Africa, 87 per cent of the surveyed are concerned about climate change, whereas another 85 per cent want the government to be doing more about it. In terms of policy interventions, the highest priority among South Africans was building solar farms, followed by public buildings to be used for national disasters.
“This study gives us a timely opportunity – health-framed messages are not just relevant, they are twice as effective at shifting public attitudes and policy support,” said Neha Dewan, Senior Advisor at Wellcome Trust, in a press release.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)