The results also show that the Israeli public wants change but lacks information on how to achieve it. Most Israelis across the political spectrum (63%) have a high level of trust in science but do not trust social media. Although trust in friends and family is also important (59%), 40% expressed trust in the Department of Environmental Protection and only 14% expressed trust in social media.

“This is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting results of the survey. This result speaks to the public’s desire for reliable scientific knowledge and the ability of this knowledge to influence public attitudes,” explained Dr. Gross.

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The Israeli public sees the need to support policies that contribute to adaptation to climate change.

It appears that leftists tend to be slightly more concerned than right-wing Democrats about the impacts of climate change and are more willing to change their behavior than right-wing Democrats.

An overwhelming majority of left-wing participants expressed concern about increasing air pollution resulting from human actions, while the center and right expressed similar concerns.

Examining the differences between men and women shows that women are more supportive than men of promoting policies and changing behavior to reduce climate change.

“The data on differences between men and women is similar to what we know elsewhere in the world,” emphasized Dr David. “However, the differences between right and left in Israel are smaller than in the United States, for example, indicating that the issue has not been fully politicized in Israel.”

Zandberg said this shows that many political parties can work together to create strong policy measures to address the climate crisis.

The survey showed that an overwhelming majority of the Israeli public believes that climate change is dangerous for humanity and that the government should take appropriate action.

“Our conclusion therefore is that it is not only possible but necessary to think about more measures against climate change. The public…expects a call to action at the individual and community level to reduce environmental damage,” Zandberg said .

The Environment and Climate Change portal is produced in cooperation with the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The Jerusalem Post retains all editorial decisions related to content.