Maharashtra Climate Change Survey: 58% Citizens Worried About Climate Crisis, But Only 3% Want It As A Political Priority

Mumbai: A study has found that 58% of Maharashtrians are concerned about climate change but only 3% would make it to a political priority. While two in three Maharashtrians would choose environmental protection over economic development only when forced to pick.

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The study by 'Ek Kutumb' a research organisation titled 'State of Mind: Mapping Values and Climate Perceptions Maharashtra Edition' was released in Delhi on Thursday. "Total 6,160 people from the state participated in survey, marking the largest sub-national study on climate change in the country. Just 1.5% of respondents used scientific terms like "global warming" to describe environmental problems. The research surfaces a sharp articulation gap between how experts and policymakers describe the climate crisis, and how citizens actually experience it," a spokesperson of the organisation said.

"Climate messaging still struggles to find a trusted messenger. Government and local authorities, NGOs and foundations, climate activists, and local youth groups are all viewed with similarly modest trust, ranging between 26–36%. Yet citizens' sense of personal agency is high, 66% believe their own actions matter for the environment, compared with only 32% who place their faith primarily in institutional action, and 69% believe civic and political involvement can lead to change. Together, these findings suggest that institutional efficacy is not the bottleneck, the absence of a trusted messenger is," the report states.

Deepa Bhatia, CEO, Ek Kutumb Solutions said, "India's climate response must include a localized approach that starts with understanding its citizens and their perceptions of climate interventions. Citizen participation is shaped by which communities trust which institutions, the values driving their willingness to act, and where policy is likely to encounter friction. Too often, sound policy stalls because it fails to account for how communities actually view risk and responsibility."

The report clearly signals that citizens do not see climate action and development as competing priorities, but expect both from the state and from institutions. Concern is also highest among citizens whose livelihoods depend directly on land and water - evidence that relevance of climate action tracks with direct exposure to its effects, not with education levels or geography.