WASHINGTON, DC – According to a new poll, the vast majority of Americans support taking action to minimize the impacts of climate change (77% total support), as well as actions to minimize harmful methane emissions (75% total support). The international survey, conducted in the United States and 17 total countries across the globe, was commissioned by Global Methane Hub to examine public support for climate change solutions including reducing harmful methane emissions.
With popular international efforts to monitor, report and limit methane pollution like the EU Methane Regulation now coming into force amid intensifying climate change impacts around the globe, the findings reveal strong global public support and urgency for leaders to take decisive action to curb the harmful impacts of methane.
Americans ranked “clean water” as the third most important national issue that lawmakers should prioritize, ahead of “economic growth” and “national security and defense,” and behind “lowering costs and inflation” and “reducing poverty.” The United States stood out among the countries surveyed for the high importance respondents placed on clean water, which Americans ranked as the third most important national priority, behind lowering costs and inflation and reducing poverty. Economic issues were consistently the highest-rated national priorities in all countries across regions.
The survey also revealed climate change to be Americans’ top environmental concern, with 43% of respondents saying they were very concerned – the highest level measured of any G7 country polled. More than 7 in 10 Americans (73%) said they support fees on the oil and gas industry for producing excess methane pollution, a policy which lawmakers recently voted to strike down despite its popularity. A similar number of respondents supported a fee on oil and gas producers for wasting methane that contributes to pollution (71%).
“As efforts to roll back methane regulations continue in the U.S., public concern about rising temperatures is only growing,” said Marcelo Mena, CEO of the Global Methane Hub. “Methane is one of the clearest ways to act fast—and Americans get that. There’s growing support not just for keeping these standard, which contribute to both a safer climate, but also protects communities from the harmful emissions from oil and gas extraction”
In a year that saw communities across the United States battered by storms like Hurricane Helene, and devastated by unprecedented, intense wildfires in Los Angeles and beyond, more than one in three Americans (34%) reported feeling strong or extreme impacts from climate change in their personal lives, a rate higher than their G7 peers surveyed in the United Kingdom (25%), France (22%), and Germany (17%).
When asked about their support for policies to address methane emissions in various sectors of the economy, American respondents supported such actions by wide margins. Respondents were asked how much, if at all, they support actions to minimize methane emissions in the following sectors:
A strong 70% of Americans also support climate action plans – defined as “Nationally Determined Contributions” – that include a specific methane emissions reduction target.
International Survey Reveals Powerful, Positive Trend of Support for Methane Mitigation
Internationally, the poll surveyed people in 17 countries across five continents – Argentina, Botswana, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The online survey gathered data from at least 600 people in each country and asked respondents questions on key issues ranging from views on climate change, environmental concerns and support for action, knowledge of methane gas emissions, and support for specific policies to reduce methane gas emissions.
Taken together, the survey findings reveal a powerful international trend of strong support for methane reduction. A significant majority of people across the 17 countries surveyed support actions to minimize methane pollution, with 82% average support for such actions among respondents across all surveyed countries. In the midst of the threat of policy changes in high emitting countries and regions, this robust and widespread support proves that the public supports climate progress.
While economic concerns remain the top national priority across the globe, countries in the Global South where climate change impacts are most severe tend to show the strongest support for methane mitigation, with lower levels of personal climate impacts in the Global North correlated with lower support for action.
The Urgency of Methane Reduction
Methane gas emissions have contributed to about half of the warming we are experiencing today, causing harm to communities around the globe. As policymakers and other actors look for solutions to cool the planet following the hottest year on record, reducing methane by 45% is crucial to lowering warming by 0.3 degrees Celsius by 2040, putting us on a path to a healthy future and meeting international climate commitments.
Methane is a significantly more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide:
“This comprehensive survey, commissioned by Global Methane Hub and conducted by Burson, offers an unparalleled window into public attitudes toward methane emissions and climate change, equipping decision-makers with essential insights on societal perspectives regarding methane reduction efforts,” said Bob Torongo, Executive Vice President, Burson.
See full survey results here.
** Global Methane Hub are available for interviews. To request more information or an interview, please contact [email protected] **
About Global Methane Hub
The Global Methane Hub organizes the field of philanthropists, experts, nonprofits, and government organizations to ensure we unite around a strategy to maximize methane reductions. We have raised over $200 million in pooled funds from more than 20 of the largest climate philanthropies to accelerate methane mitigation across the globe. Visit our website to learn more about organizations that supported the commitment.
Survey Methodology
Burson Insights, Data & Intelligence (formerly BSG) conducted a 10-minute online poll between January 14th and February 8th, 2025, translated into 14 languages, in 17 countries across North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
In each country, responses were collected from people currently residing in the country who are 18 years of age or older and who have internet access. Weights were applied to age, gender, geography, and education to ensure collected samples were representative of adults 18+ who have internet access in each country.
A minimum of 750 responses were collected in 12 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa, the United States, and the United Kingdom), with a margin of error of approximately ±3.58%. In the remaining 5 countries (Morocco, Oman, Botswana, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan), a minimum of 600 responses were collected, with a margin of error of about ±4.00%.
Note: When “total study” or “overall” figures are referenced, they are representative of the 17 countries surveyed.