Africa’s vulnerability to climate risk in the coming decades is at its highest, demanding effective and accountable action at a local, national, and international level1.
In a recent article we asked which actors Africans believe are most responsible for addressing climate change. Data from the Afrobarometer, collected between 2021 and 2023 asked a sample of 53,444 people, across 39 African countries, whether they had heard of climate change2. Consistent with previous surveys in the region3, respondents most likely to have heard of climate change are those with higher levels of formal education, increased news access, resources, and an awareness of drought. Males were more likely to be familiar with the concept.
Citizen’s views on responsibility for climate action
Almost half (45%) of the 26,735 respondents, who have heard of climate change, believe their own government is primarily responsible for addressing climate change and reducing its impacts. The next 30% attribute primary responsibility to the general African public. In comparison, historic emitters are least often selected as being responsible, including rich countries (13%) and business and industry (8%).
Respondents from West Africa stand out with the highest proportion of views that their own governments are responsible for climate change. Those from Uganda, Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana and Kenya show a relatively even split in primary responsibility placed on government and the public.
Access to education and media changes perceptions of climate responsibility. People with more schooling or regular use of social media are more likely to blame rich countries and industries, rather than their own governments.
Trust in government also matters. When people see their governments as effective and less corrupt, they trust and believe that both citizens and the state can act on climate change. But corruption weakens that sense of shared responsibility. These results are consistent with a virtuous cycle in which state professionalism empowers citizens both to act and hold their government accountable for action.
Implications for accountability
It’s concerning that many African citizens, most vulnerable to climate change also feel the greatest personal responsibility for tackling it, especially when they lack support from their governments. Where corruption is high and state services are weak, people are less likely to expect meaningful climate action from their leaders, thus the need for a combined action and involvement from governments and historical emitters.
As more citizens feel the effects, gain access to education and information, and begin to understand the stakes, they’re more likely to push for government accountability.
The implication is that political actors and climate governance stakeholders, more broadly, will need to pay greater attention to climate action as citizens experience climate impacts, understand its consequences, and increasingly look to hold their representatives and governments to account.
These findings need to be understood within the global perspective that shows 89% of people across 125 countries want their national governments to do more to fight climate change3. This analysis suggests that citizens who have access to resources and information are associated with support for climate action broadly, the empowerment of everyday Africans to act, and the recognition that historic emitters should play a larger role in climate action.
