A brief exposure to “basic science” changes the average person’s approach to climate change issues, according to a new study from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

The study, based on an online experiment that involved 1,000 people, is the first to measure public comprehension of climate change in Ireland.

Researchers found that participants who learned about the science of climate change for “just 10 minutes” were then more inclined to show “support for action on climate change”.

The ESRI invited 1,000 adults to take part in a short, multiple-choice, online quiz which covered the basic causes of climate change, impacts and how certain behaviour can affect it.

According to the institute, half the participants were shown the correct answers, while the other half were not.

Those who saw the correct answers were more in favour of “higher support for change”.

Dr. Shane Timmons from ESRI’s behavioural research unit said it was “striking” how many people changed their mind on carbon tax when learning about the science of climate change for 10 minutes

“While acceptance of human-caused climate change is high, there are some gaps in knowledge and people were clearly affected by the information.

“They became more supportive of stronger climate policy and more willing to engage in high-impact behaviours,” Dr. Timmons added. 

According to ESRI researchers, after seeing the correct answers the number of people who “believed a carbon tax would be effective at changing behaviour went up by 25%”.

Seeing the correct answers also influenced the participants intentions “to engage in high-impact pro-environmental actions, such as taking fewer flights, retrofitting their home or reducing meat intake” according to the ESRI study.

The study of 1,000 people claims to be the first to measure “public comprehension” of climate change in Ireland.

The ESRI researchers concluded that;

  • 90% of participants were aware that climate change is caused by human activity;
  • Climate change was the third most important issue for participants after housing and healthcare;
  • Most participants could identify forms of energy generation and transport that produce emissions;
  • The impact of buying local and organic food on reducing emissions was overestimated;
  • 66% of people who took part in the study underestimated the impact of switching to a plant-based diet;
  • Half the participants underestimated Ireland’s per person emissions compared to the rest of the EU;
  • One in three said they were “not aware that the agriculture sector is a primary contributor of emissions”.