Most Australians overestimate how much they are doing for the environment compared to others, and are more concerned about water shortages, pollution and household waste than climate change, a new CSIRO survey reveals.
More than 70 per cent of people said they thought climate change was an important issue, which has remained consistently the case since surveying began in 2010.
Adding up all the actions people said they were doing for the environment, there was a normal distribution of responses: a few people did not much of anything; quite a lot of people did a moderate amount; and a few people did a great deal.
Respondents were then asked: ‘How much do you think you do compared to the average Australian: a lot less, a little less, about the same, a bit more, or a lot more?’
How much environmental action the survey respondents thought they took, compared with an average Australian. Credit: CSIRO
Just under one-quarter (21.5 per cent) got it about right: regardless of how many actions they performed, their assessment of where they stood in relation to other people was fairly accurate. The same amount (21.5 per cent) were what we might call ‘self-deprecating’: they undervalued their comparative performance.
But more than half our participants (57.1 per cent) were ‘self-enhancing’: they tended to overestimate how much environmental action they took compared to others.
The ‘better than average effect’ describes our predisposition to think of ourselves as exceptional, especially among our peers. The effect reflects our tendency to think of ourselves as more virtuous and moral, more compassionate and understanding and (ironically) as less biased than other people.
At the very same time, Australia’s climate extremes are increasing Australia’s climate extremes are increasing (ABC News), with the highest ever human-caused jump in carbon dioxide levels being recorded in the last two years.
Re-post of Most of us overestimate how ‘green’ we really are from ECOS Magazine.
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