UK survey: 85% report climate change impact, ahead of COP31
ONS survey of adults in Great Britain finds 85% affected by climate change in the past year and 60% call it an important issue facing the UK.
The story in focus
An Office for National Statistics survey of adults in Great Britain found 85% reported being affected by climate change in the past 12 months, up from 74% in 2025. The data, covering 1 July to 27 September 2026, was published ahead of UN biodiversity and climate conferences.
- 60% of adults named climate change and the environment an important issue facing the UK.
- 85% reported at least one climate change impact in the past year; heatwaves were cited by 78%.
- 41% of businesses surveyed between 21 September and 4 October 2026 were concerned about climate change impacts.
What the survey found
The Office for National Statistics published the bulletin on 16 October 2026, drawing on its Opinions and Lifestyle Survey. Responses were collected from 1 July to 27 September 2026 among adults in Great Britain, a pooled period of three data collection waves with 10,680 respondents.
Around three in five adults, 60%, named climate change and the environment as an important issue facing the UK. The share was higher among adults with a degree or equivalent (69%), London residents (67%) and adults aged 16 to 29 (66%).
When asked how climate change had affected them in the past 12 months, adults most often cited heatwaves (78%), drought (40%) and wildfires (26%). The ONS noted the collection period coincided with heatwaves and that the Met Office provisionally declared summer 2026 the UK's hottest on record.
Business concern and lifestyle changes
A separate ONS business survey covering 21 September to 4 October 2026 found 41% of businesses concerned about climate change impacts on their business, the highest share since February 2023. Concern about nature or biodiversity risks stood at 27%.
Among adults, 77% said they had made some or a lot of changes to their lifestyle to help tackle environmental issues. The most common actions were waste reduction (80%), shopping habits (48%), diet (42%) and travel (41%). Of the 23% who had made no changes, common reasons included believing large polluters should change first (31%) and doubting personal effect (26%).
The ONS framed the findings around the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP17) in October and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in November 2026.
How many adults in Great Britain reported being affected by climate change in the past year?
85% reported being affected in at least one way, up from 74% in autumn 2025 and 66% in October 2024, according to the ONS survey covering 1 July to 27 September 2026.
Sources & further reading
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