After the G7 Summit, Potential Energy Coalition and Rockefeller Foundation published findings from surveys of more than 83,000 adults in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, United States, and Canada showing robust backing for climate solutions across political views
Yet the right message counts: health tops in France; health plus nature protection lead in the UK; cost-of-living points win in Italy; and an overheating world, unfair burdens, plus health sway Germany
Fresh climate communications guide reveals how nations can widen backing by stressing pollution, health, household expenses, energy self-reliance, and family safeguards

Potential Energy Coalition, backed by The Rockefeller Foundation, issued Fixing Climate Communications right after the 2026 G7 Summit in France. This data-driven guide draws from surveys of more than 83,000 adults in France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. Together these nations account for over 40 percent of world GDP. The work pinpoints which messages build wider agreement across political lines and which ones weaken it, giving clear advice amid rising climate hushing by many groups. Common worries about pollution, health, affordability, energy security, and safeguarding future generations lifted support by more than 10 points in all six nations. In contrast, talk of bans, mandates, upheaval, or net zero lagged everywhere.

"The climate crisis already complicates feeding families, securing jobs, and living with dignity worldwide. Addressing it with needed speed calls for language that connects and inspires. This study demonstrates how evidence-based messaging can improve dialogue on tackling the climate crisis while fostering a safer, more prosperous future," said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation.

The World Bank estimates that 14.5-15.6 million extra deaths could occur in low- and middle-income nations by 2050 from climate-linked causes if trends hold. Extreme heat claims one life every minute on average worldwide, and workers lost 640 billion potential work hours last year, nearly double the 1990s level, according to the Lancet Countdown Report.

Despite these stakes, public discussion of climate has retreated broadly. GlobeScan data shows climate hushing rising: the share of consumers noticing sustainability messages fell from 49 percent in 2023 to 36 percent in 2025 across 31 markets, with trust dropping from 79 percent to 65 percent. Global climate news coverage declined 38 percent from its 2021 peak by late 2025, and climate or ESG mentions on S&P 500 earnings calls fell by about three-quarters in the same span.

"Climate succeeds as an issue when shared effectively. Climate hushing proves shortsighted; the evidence counters the notion that leaders should skip climate talk and stick only to clean energy or economic gains. The question is not whether to discuss climate but how, shifting past narrow politicized angles to everyday costs, effects, and concerns that can greatly grow public support," said John Marshall, Executive Chair at Potential Energy Coalition.

Key Findings: The study shows climate solutions retain wide cross-ideological support in all six countries, and communication style proves decisive.

Results come from two rounds of global research by Potential Energy Coalition, with fieldwork by Echelon Insights and Merlin Strategy plus six years of prior data. From September to December 2025, 83,971 adults of varied ages, genders, regions, education, ethnicities, and politics were polled in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Canada. Three core principles for stronger climate messaging emerged, and they delivered results: one well-crafted message raised support by at least 9 points in every nation.

Start with daily impacts. Highlighting real human effects such as extreme weather and higher household bills proves the top method to elevate climate as a priority and make it feel personal.
Clarify the cause. Noting that pollution is the simple root of climate change and can be cut makes the issue seem 10-20 percent more solvable and cuts polarization.
Present energy as additive rather than limiting. Strongest energy messages stress what clean energy provides: local supply, lower costs, and energy independence. Ban- or mandate-focused lines consistently reduced support across nations and groups.

Further results include:

Climate action support stays high and opposition low. About two-thirds of people worldwide back immediate government climate steps, unchanged from three years ago. Climate action draws more than five supporters per opponent globally.
Pro-climate messages prevail outright. Against the strongest opposing line, pro-climate messages won 57 percent of the time across the six countries.
Fairness resonates. People responded to points about ordinary households facing rising pollution and climate costs via insurance, energy bills, and living expenses.
Climate hushing lacks basis; top messages tackle the topic head-on. Support rose in every country, political group, and policy area, with gains on the right more than double those on the left (+10 versus +4 points), lifting right-leaning views from 61 percent to 71 percent.
Consequence messages outperform. They prove roughly twice as effective as jobs-and-innovation lines at boosting support for climate steps, clean energy growth, and fossil fuel pollution cuts.
Clean energy messages succeed when framed well. They performed best when centered on energy independence, domestic strength, and shielding against global market swings rather than emissions goals alone.
Net zero ranks lowest. Achieving net zero placed last among nine environmental priorities in every country, behind simpler ideas like addressing climate change, protecting nature, or cutting air pollution.
Green jobs and growth messages lag. These ranked among the weakest climate messages across six years of prior data.

Country Breakdown: The nations represent over 40 percent of global GDP combined.

United Kingdom: 90 percent view climate change as real, 72 percent back immediate government action, and 78 percent support faster clean energy buildout. Right-leaning UK adults back climate action at 77 percent, 23 points above U.S. counterparts; among young conservatives aged 18-49, 72 percent support climate action and 74 percent favor clean energy growth. Health risks and protecting nature tied as top persuaders with 9-point gains each, while promoting unity was the sole message to lower support. In direct matchups, clean energy protects our energy future led at 56 percent, the only nation where an energy security frame beat the generational legacy frame.
France: 89 percent see climate change as real, 71 percent support immediate government action, and 64 percent back more clean energy. France shows the smallest left-right gap at just 5 points and posted the largest overall support increase. Health risks drove a 15-point rise overall and a striking 21-point jump among left-leaning respondents, the highest single ideological gain recorded.
Germany: 85 percent view climate change as real, 62 percent support immediate government action, and 62 percent back clean energy expansion. Impact of an overheating planet lifted support 11.4 points and unfair costs added 10 points, both above averages. Only 45 percent of Germans see climate change as solvable, the lowest rate found, and center respondents gained 17 points on cutting fossil fuel pollution from health risks.
Italy: 83 percent worry about climate change, the highest rate recorded, 90 percent see it as real, 77 percent support immediate government action, and 78 percent favor clean energy growth. Italy's right-leaning baseline support stands at 74 percent, above the U.S. average, with one of the smaller partisan gaps. It is the sole nation where economic and anti-corporate frames beat health and overheating-planet ones: anti-corporate greed produced a 20-point increase among right-leaning respondents on cutting fossil fuel pollution, the largest right-leaning response seen, and every message beat opposition in head-to-head tests.
United States: 88 percent view climate change as real, 69 percent support immediate government action, and 72 percent back more clean energy. Worry has held steady at 64 percent today versus 65 percent in 2023. The U.S. shows the widest partisan divide at 39 points, yet conservatives remain persuadable, with nearly every message moving right-leaning Americans significantly. Impact of an overheating planet proved strongest with a 9-point gain, while energy innovation showed no meaningful increase.
Canada: 78 percent worry about climate change, 90 percent see it as real, 69 percent support immediate government action, and 74 percent back clean energy growth. Despite a 32-point left-right gap, 18 points narrower than the U.S., right-leaning Canadians gained 16 points on cutting fossil fuel pollution from one effective message, among the highest right-leaning shifts. Protect what you love for future generations achieved the highest single-message win rate at 62 percent, and every message exceeded 50 percent in direct contests.

Plans call for expanding the study to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, and Türkiye in coming months. Fixing Climate Communications forms the latest work under the Build the Shared Future Initiative, through which the 113-year-old philanthropic group seeks to encourage global cooperation and development efforts suited to 21st-century challenges, including alignment with governments, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, on country-led solutions to stretch aid dollars and spur fresh investments.