Saudi Arabia: What Recent Climate Polling Tells Us

Results from global surveys indicate an increase in the number of Saudis who perceive climate change as a serious and immediate threat, reflecting a heightened awareness of the urgency in addressing climate issues. More local climate polling surveys are needed.

Research and polling studies were conducted to assess public awareness, acceptability, and attitudes towards climate change, environmental beliefs, and various types of green technologies among the Saudi population. Results from Veolia’s 2024 Ecological Transformation Barometer survey revealed an increase in the number of Saudis who perceive climate change as a serious and immediate threat, indicating a heightened awareness of the urgency of addressing climate issues.

The survey found that 86% of Saudi residents in 2024 believe that climate change is real, compared to 59% in 2022, indicating a growing acknowledgment of climate change within the population. Acceptance rates for green solutions have also significantly improved, with recycling initiatives and water treatment receiving moderate support. Notably, there is also considerable acceptance in adopting measures such as consuming food (68%) and water (58%) grown from recycled water. However, challenges persist. Despite the significant awareness of climate change and environmental beliefs among Saudis, with 79.2% of the respondents to the online survey indicating that people were concerned about the harmful effects of pollution, indicating that alternative energy could be beneficial, 97.2% of them stated that the adoption of renewable energy technology was ineffective because of the high prices involved. To meet the government’s targets set in Saudi Vision 2030, innovative and effective measures are needed to encourage Saudi Arabian citizens across all social classes by raising their awareness of renewable energy. The findings of another survey conducted between June and August 2020 of 450 participants on consumers’ intention to adopt solar energy show that a lack of knowledge about renewable energy (RE) among Saudi consumers is a significant barrier to the adoption of RE, and this obstacle may thwart the Saudi government’s endeavors to encourage domestic RE adoption.

In Saudi Arabia, support for climate change policies varies across demographic and political lines. Younger Saudis, particularly urban residents and university-educated professionals, tend to be more supportive of environmental policies, viewing them as integral to economic diversification and modernization under Vision 2030. They tend to favor policies promoting renewable energy, sustainable urban development, and conservation. In contrast, skepticism is more common among older, rural populations and those economically tied to the oil sector, who may perceive climate initiatives as threats to livelihoods or national identity. Politically, support is strongest among technocratic and reform-oriented elites aligned with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s modernization agenda. At the same time, traditionalists or those with vested interests in fossil fuels are more resistant to change.

Public support often centers on pragmatic and nationally framed policies, such as solar energy development, air quality improvement, and water security, issues linked to health, economic opportunity, and resource management. Broader global narratives of climate justice or carbon pricing resonate less.

Existing climate-related polling in Saudi Arabia is limited in scope and often lacks methodological transparency. Most data come from global surveys, which may not fully capture local nuances due to cultural, political, and linguistic barriers. Strengthening climate polling would require more localized, government-independent efforts that disaggregate responses by region, age, and sector affiliation, and that include qualitative components better to understand underlying beliefs, values, and trade-offs. Without this, policy design risks being top-down and misaligned with public concerns or priorities.

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